Transformers: Operation Earth
by T'Reilani
Summary: Adjusting to life on Earth isn't what anyone would call easy or simple, even for giant alien robots. No, especially for giant alien robots. Sequel to Transformers: Technorganic. Prowl/Riella, Ironhide/Chromia. Technorganic-verse.
1. Chapter 1: Waiting

_**Transformers: Operation Earth**_

"normal"

_bond/thoughts_

**radio**

::comm::

computer message

**A/N: This one is the third of my Movieverse stories to get a massive edit/overhaul. By about chapter 12 of this one, Riella's character had started developing along different lines than I originally thought, so most of the changes are to make her characterization match the one in later chapters, "Diabolus Ex Machina", and the edited versions of "Transformers: Technorganic" and "Expecting the Unexpected". The basic storyline hasn't changed; this still takes place a few weeks after the end of the first movie, Jazz is still alive, Prowl is still closer to the TFA version than G1, et cetera. Individual chapter changes will be summarized in author's notes in the appropriate chapter. "Transformers: Technorganic" and "Expecting the Unexpected" are already done, so be sure to read those for a more consistent storyline!**

**Usual disclaimers apply. Riella is mine, but everybody else is a canon character and thus doesn't belong to me.**

**Chapter 1: Waiting**

The young technorganic woman sat outside the newly built Autobot hangar in Diego Garcia, eyes closed and head tipped back, enjoying the warm sunlight and the slight breeze that stirred her hair. A shadow fell across her, and without opening her eyes, she said, "Hello, Jazz."

"Man, you're _good_." Jazz sat down next to her, wincing as the movement jarred not-completely-healed wounds in his torso and limbs.

"I should be. I've had enough practice. Besides -" she opened her eyes to look up at him "- you're not exactly stealthy right now. I can hear those panels on your chassis clicking from fifty feet away, and I'm hardly the only one. Prowl was complaining about it this morning."

"Damn." Jazz poked at the paneling, meant to protect the join line at his midsection while his self-repair systems finished fusing it together.

"Speaking of damnation, does Ratchet know you're out of the medbay?" Riella arched one eyebrow. "I thought you weren't supposed to leave without express permission and a medical escort?"

"Um..." Jazz looked distinctly uncomfortable. "If I say no, 'r ya gonna drag me back in?"

Riella smiled. "No, not as long as you promise not to strain anything. It's good to have you back on your feet." She became serious. "We almost lost you, you know. That was far too close."

"Yeah, yeah." The silver mech grimaced. "The Hatchet's lectured me just 'bout every day on how stupid I was, takin' on Megatron by myself."

"Rightfully so. It was spectacularly moronic." Riella smirked at his expression. Jazz rolled his optics behind the visor.

"'K, fine, I get it. Where's everybody else?"

"Prowl and Ironhide are out on patrol, but they should be back soon." Riella ticked off names on her fingertips. "Ratchet is arguing with someone about getting a proper medbay built. Bumblebee's still with Sam and his parents. And Optimus is in a meeting with the U.S. government to figure out some details of the new alliance between them, the U.K. government, and us. I don't envy him. Working with Simmons gets _really_ old after…oh, approximately thirty nanocliks." When Jazz gave her an odd look, she added, "You remember Simmons, right?"

"The guy with the nice undershorts?"

"Ugh." Riella groaned. "Thank you _so much _for that mental image!"

Jazz cracked up laughing at her expression, and then winced in pain. "'Course I remember. Entire reason ya don't like humans, I'm thinkin'?"

"Close to it," Riella admitted. "I am not fond of most of them, but Simmons I genuinely dislike. He is…well, what a Vulcan would call an _or'nai'ga_." When Jazz gave her a confused look, she clarified, "A pest. An annoyance. There really isn't a good equivalent word, but that's the gist."

"Gotcha. Sooooo..." Jazz drew the word out. "Any word from other 'bots yet?"

"Yes, actually," Riella told him, remembering that he had missed the news of the night before "Arcee, Chromia, and Moonracer are on their way."

"Bet ol' 'Hide's happy about that, huh?" Jazz grinned. "Been too long for them."

"Any time apart from a bondmate is too long," Riella agreed with a half-smile. "He was the one who got the comm; we couldn't get a coherent phrase out of him for five cliks. A fact he will be denying in front of any and all humans."

Jazz laughed. "Ha. He c'n deny all he wants, we all know anyway. Any word from the twins or Blue yet?"

Riella's smile disappeared, and her shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly. "No."

Jazz winced and put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "Sorry. I shouldn'ta asked. Ya okay?"

"Don't worry about it. I appreciate the thought." She stared off into space. "They will be here – I know it. As Prowl says, you can't keep them away for long."

The silver mech nodded quietly, obviously thinking. Riella resisted the temptation to check what, telepathically. She had to get used to not knowing what everybot around her was thinking, now that it was more than just her and Prowl.

"Hey, Riella? In the Academy, there were 'bots who kinda got like Simmons. That or-whatever thing. A pest. Wouldn't go away."

Riella gave him a strange look. "_Or'nai'ga. _I'm sure there were - you find them everywhere. Why mention it?"

Jazz shrugged, too casually. "Well. There's a solution to that. Ya make 'em wish they hadn't ever bugged ya. Temp'rary, but it works. Wanna try it? Ya know, 'cause the Twins aren't here?"

She looked up in surprise. "Are you suggesting we pull a prank on him?"

"Well, yeah." Jazz grinned. "Nothing too drastic, y'know? Jus' something to make him think twice 'fore he starts in on us again."

She thought for a moment, then looked up and leaned closer conspiratorially. "What did you have in mind?"

Jazz explained, and Riella frowned. "I know Sideswipe did that once at home, so I know it works, but I'm not sure we can do the same thing to a human. Magnetized metal won't hurt us, but Primus knows what would happen to an organic. The base doesn't have air vents set up the way they did on Cybertron, anyway..."

"Ratch' has this pipe stuff," Jazz said cheerfully. "We can jus' build the whole setup. Won't take more'n five minutes. And I wouldn't use magnets. I was thinkin' Silly String."

Riella arched an eyebrow. "'Silly String'? Dare I ask?"

"Looked it up on that Internet," Jazz grinned. "Liquid sticky plastic in a can. Should work just fine long's we fix the pipes right."

"Hmm." Riella thought for a moment. "The flaw in your plan is that we won't find that on base, and Prowl is in charge of all store runs for the time being."

"Aww, why?" Jazz pouted slightly. Riella rolled her optics.

"Because Prowl and I are the ones who held an actual job for three months back before you came to Earth. And because Optimus decided to put the one with the best decision-making skills in charge of the finances." She shrugged. "Long story short? He'd need to agree."

"Well, get Prowler in on it, then!" Jazz gave her his best evil grin. "He'll go for it, right? I mean, it's not like he actually _likes_ that Simmons punk, not long's _ya_ don't."

"You might be right. But let me tell him." Riella paused. "And don't call him 'Prowler'."

"Why not?" Jazz picked himself up and held out a hand to Riella. "Pretty sure I've heard ya do it."

"Maybe _once_," Riella said with another raised eyebrow. "And even if I did, I'm allowed. I'm his sparkmate. You're not."

"Thank Primus," Jazz quipped. "Not sure I could take livin' with him. So you'll handle Prowler – sorry, _Prowl - _and I'll go get the -"

"No," Riella's tone left no room for argument. "You are not going anywhere. You can assemble the other supplies where we need them. Prowl or I will go get the Silly String."

Jazz sighed in frustration and looked down at her pleadingly. "C'mon, Ri, I ain't left the base since we got here."

"And you aren't going to do it now. I'm pushing it as it is, letting you out of the medbay." Riella shook her head as he opened his mouth. "You're off active duty. Don't you dare try to pull rank on me, because I won't listen."

"Fine. Sheesh." Jazz offered her a rueful smirk. "Worth a shot."


	2. Chapter 2: Pranksters

**Pretty much rewrote this chapter – it was one of the worst as far as characterization. So the basic plot is the same, but Riella, Prowl, and Jazz are all fairly different, as is the way their prank plays out. There's also more with the Riella/Prowl bond.**

**Chapter 2: Pranksters**

"I know _that _feeling, Riella." Prowl looked up from his makeshift desk when Riella and Jazz entered his office. "You know Optimus won't be happy if you cause a diplomatic incident. And aren't you supposed to be in the medbay, Jazz?"

_Nice to see you too, Prowl, _Riella teased. Over the bond, of course – Jazz would have taken the joke further if she said it out loud. "No worries. This should be perfectly harmless."

"It's the 'should be' that worries me." Prowl arched a brow ridge, an expression that was almost eerily similar to Riella's usual reaction. "Doesn't the government dislike us enough already?"

Riella sighed. "Maybe. But Simmons really does need taking down a peg or two. Besides, aren't they making efforts to fire him?"

"Hmm, fair point." Prowl stared at both of them, calculating the odds that they would be successful _and _avoid causing a major problem. "Whose idea was this?"

"Mine," Jazz admitted. "I thought...ya know, with the twins an' Blue bein' gone...it might cheer Riella-girl up to pull a prank or two."

"I suspected as much. Riella is rarely the instigator when it comes to causing potential interplanetary disputes." Prowl looked at his mate. _Is he right? Would it help? I know you were disappointed not to hear from them sooner._

Riella shrugged. _It might. Mostly, I just want to see the look on Simmons' face. It would be something to tell the twins about, anyway. Sideswipe would laugh._

_Sideswipe also laughed when you called Sentinel Prime a glitch-head in front of Alpha Trion, _Prowl responded dryly. _That didn't turn out well for either of you. _

_What are you talking about? We had the best 'awkward moment' story in the Cyber-Ninja corps for years. _Riella stifled a snicker. _Don't worry, Prowl. I promise, this will not be a big deal. I know for a fact the government has told Simmons to stop bothering us. We're just…confirming that it happens to be a bad idea to disregard that._

_Of course you are. _Prowl was about to continue when their discussion was interrupted by Jazz's annoyed sigh.

"Are ya _done_? Primus, we turn ya loose for a couple stellar cycles and next we know, ya forgot basic rules of talking. I'm standin' right here! Use words!"

"Sorry," Riella and Prowl apologized simultaneously. Prowl continued. "We're trying – "

"- to work on it," Riella finished. Jazz groaned.

"Stop that! I can't focus when ya keep switching. Just one of ya talk."

With some effort, Prowl responded. "Sorry, Jazz. Back to the topic at hand. You two wanted…Silly String. And Riella wanted me to go get it because…"

"…You're the one with the credit card," Riella finished. "And Jazz isn't allowed to leave the base, so it was always going to have to be one of us."

"Hmmm." Prowl took another moment to consider, sighed, and nodded. "Okay. I can do that, on one condition."

"Name it!" Jazz started grinning like a maniac.

"You're going back to the medbay until we get back."

Jazz's face fell. "Why? I already promised. I'm not leavin' base."

"I know. But you're not even supposed to be out here in the first place." Prowl looked his old friend over critically. "And honestly, you look like you're about to fall over. Go back to the medbay, or I'll pick you up and take you."

Jazz opened his mouth to protest. Prowl folded both arms across his chest and stared flatly at the silver mech, and after a moment, Jazz sighed in frustration and muttered, "Fine." He turned and limped out of Prowl's office, muttering something about 'not that bad, overreacting…'

_Primus, he's stubborn. _Prowl reached down and picked up Riella, placing her on his shoulder. Riella rolled her optics.

_Hubcaps and tires, Prowl. _

It took less than an hour to find exactly what they were looking for, although part of the quick trip was due to Prowl ignoring the speed limit every time he was on an open road. By the time they returned and checked back in at the medbay, though, Jazz looked like he'd been going stir-crazy for the entire time.

"Where've ya _been?_" The silver mech tried to get up too quickly, and almost fell off the bunk. Prowl caught him just in time. "Ow! Thanks. Didja find it?"

"Mm-hmm." Riella removed two cans of Silly String from her subspace. "Hope you're right about this. So who's setting up what?"

Prowl sighed. "I suppose I'm too involved to back out now. I'll help."

Jazz grinned. "Awesome! Okay, follow me an' I'll show ya what I'm thinkin'…" He led the way outside, to the small parking garage that was soon to be converted to another hangar. "See that? We set up the air-vent design, but with these." He pointed to a pile of PVC pipe, half-hidden in a dim alley between buildings.

"Hmm. Lined with the anti-contact tape, I take it." Prowl studied one of the pipes in fascination. "Riella, you've memorized the air-vent design, yes?"

_Yes. _Riella was already fitting the pipes together carefully. Prowl nodded and continued. "Jazz, help her with that. I'll monitor the humans. When you're finished, you and I will maneuver it onto the roof, I'll use a hologram to hide it, and Riella can set up the Silly String. Good?"

Jazz nodded, already reaching for the end of the pipes. "Good."

With the three of them working, setup took less than ten minutes. That was a good thing, because moments after Riella had positioned the metal cans at the end of their makeshift air vent and pronounced the whole thing a perfect model, her communicator beeped. ::Ratchet to Riella. Or Prowl. I don't care who.::

::Riella here,:: the technorganic responded with a slight frown. ::What's up?::

::That Pit-slagged meeting is over, and Simmons wants to talk to you. One of you.::

Prowl sighed. ::Prowl here, Ratchet. Is this about those reports?::

::Probably.:: Ratchet sounded like he was grimacing. ::Anyway, he's on his way out.::

::Copy.:: Riella looked up at Prowl with a slight grin. "I'll meet him at the door. One of you can handle this end of things.::

Less than two minutes later, Seymour Simmons stormed out of the hangar door. "There you are! Do you know how much trouble you've caused me, missy?"

"First, my name is _Riella_." She turned and stalked across the parking lot. As expected, he followed. "You seem to have difficulty remembering our names. And as long as we're on that subject, I would appreciate it if you stopped referring to us as 'NBEs' in your reports."

"You actually _read_ those?" Simmons stared. "I knew it was you changing them! Are you crazy?"

"Hubcaps and tires, Agent." Riella stopped walking and turned around. "Or rather, to use human terminology, pot and kettle."

Simmons got a look on his face that suggested he knew he'd just been insulted, but wasn't quite sure how. "Fine. Whatever. If you don't stop screwing with my reports, I'm gonna – "

Prowl's timing, Riella noted with an internal laugh, was even more perfect than usual. It was hard for a human to even try to be intimidating when he had just been covered in colorful sticky plastic that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Simmons just stared in shock for a moment before yelling. "…_You! _You planned this?"

"I plan most things, Agent," Riella said sweetly, not bothering to keep the smirk off her face as she turned and walked away. "Being me has advantages."


	3. Chapter 3: First Arrivals

**Very long chapter here. This one was kind of a pain to rewrite, but ended up worth it. Again, massive changes to Riella and Prowl, though the basic plot stays the same. Some changes to the Arcee sisters and Ironhide as well. The phrase in Vulcan that Riella uses is not grammatically correct (so anybody who understands it is going to look at me like I'm an idiot), but I couldn't find a guide to Vulcan grammar through Google, so I'm justifying it by saying she's from an older time period.**

**Chapter 3: First Arrivals**

Prowl appeared next to Riella a few feet away from the door, scooping her easily off the ground and setting her on his shoulder. _Now that's a nice feeling coming from you – laughter. Haven't seen that in a couple of weeks. Jazz was right. This was good for you._

Riella nodded and leaned her head against the top of his as they entered the hangar. _Much as I hate to admit it, he's rarely wrong when it comes to emotions._

Prowl looked out at the ranting Simmons. _I believe there's a human phrase for this...what is it? Payback's a..._

_Ko-wil'tei, _Riella finished, translating to Vulcan out of sheer habit. _Zaprah a' ko-wil'tei. _

Prowl stepped back out of sight as the furious, Silly String-covered government agent turned in their direction. _More vulgar than I meant to be, but it does convey the idea. _

_Did you Google search the phrase just so you could say it? _Riella slid off his shoulder and transformed so that she could look him in the eye without him having to crouch or hold her.

_Maybe._

The door rattled as Jazz limped in, still laughing and struggling to stay upright. "Ha! Did ya _see_ the look on his face? Hahahaha!"

"Of course I did," Riella said dryly. "I was standing right there. Are you alright, Jazz? Do you need to sit down?"

"Nah, 'm fine." Jazz stabilized himself against the wall. "That was good, man. That was good."

Riella glanced up, past Jazz, and her optics widened simultaneously with Prowl's. "Um…."

Jazz kept talking, oblivious to both of their reactions. "I mean, the look on his face! _Please _tell me ya got a scan, because I got a couple, but they're not great..."

"Jazz..." Riella and Prowl both stepped back, worried expressions on their faceplates. "Jazz, I really think..." Riella glanced up at Prowl. _Should we…._

The saboteur still wasn't listening. "We are _so_ pranking him again! Next time maybe Sides an' Sunny'll be here for it, too…"

"_JAZZ!"_

Riella and Prowl winced simultaneously as Ratchet grabbed Jazz's shoulder and spun him around, holding him upright. Jazz's optics widened, but he managed to keep a grin on his faceplate. "Uh...hi, Ratch', how's it going?"

"WHAT were my instructions?" The medic was giving Jazz the look that even Optimus backed away from.

"Um...not overdo it?" Jazz's grin was fading rapidly.

"I told you to _stay in the fragging medbay!_" Ratchet tightened his grip on Jazz and started back through the hangar. "Which is where you are going right now. And you are going to _stay_ there, or so help me Primus, I will weld you to that Pit-slagged berth!"

Prowl glanced down at Riella, lipplates curving into the beginning of a smirk and amusement radiating over the bond. The smirk disappeared quickly as Ratchet turned to yell back at them. "And YOU two, do NOT countermand my orders again, or next time you're in the medbay for any reason I WILL turn you both into a toaster and a frying pan!"

"Yes, Ratchet," they both called back simultaneously, only just managing to wait until he was out of audio shot before breaking out in laughter.

After a moment or two to calm down, Prowl shook his head and took his sparkmate's hand in his. "Optimus told me earlier to report to him after the meeting was over. We should go."

Several hours later, the two of them sat down outside, watching the sunset. _So…_ Riella stared off into the distance. _Let me get this straight. The humans want us to share all of our intel and technology with them, due to the fact that we are on their planet and they face the same danger from the Decepticons that we do. Optimus wants to share the absolute minimum, giving them the reason that even with us intel and tech is given out on a need to know basis. He also would not tell them this, but so far very few of them have proved capable of handling even the knowledge of our existence well, let alone having access to our databases and weaponry. And you and I are supposed to come up with a solution._

_That would be my understanding,_ Prowl responded. _Ratchet and Jazz were less than helpful, though I can't say I'm surprised._

Riella smirked. _I can just hear their suggestions._ She straightened up, pulled her faceplates into a frown, and did a surprisingly good imitation of Ratchet's gruff voice. "Why bother giving them _anything_? They don't listen to advice, they can't keep their government straight, slaggit, they can't even eat things that are healthy for them! Can we start with basic hygiene information?"

Prowl laughed internally before doing an even better imitation of Jazz. "So, they want our intel? Give 'em the same intel the 'Cons are always findin' out from their taps into our network; everythin' we don't care if the galaxy knows."

_Is it a problem when that makes sense?_ Riella shook her head. _It's sad when we're the closest thing to diplomats the Autobots have._ _Maybe we could offer to give them intel on the same basis we give the Autobot army? A need-to-know basis?_

Prowl ran a hand over his chin, thinking that through. _I thought of that, but the problem there is the definition of __need-to-know__. By my definition and Prime's, none of the humans really __need__ to know any more than they already do. By the definition they'll most likely use, at least their top government agents absolutely must know __everything__ we know._

_Point._ Riella kept thinking, trying to remember the time she'd spent debating regulations while in Starfleet. _How specific do they need us to be?_

_I don't believe it's been established. _Prowl tipped his head. _I think I know what you have in mind._

_The technicality system. We make an agreement with every possible loophole in it, expect them to catch the obvious ones, but put a few in that we really want in a way that they won't see unless we point it out. Then, when we need to keep some intel to ourselves, we call the loophole._

_Could work. Especially since they won't expect it._ Prowl stood up and reached down to pick up Riella. _I'll suggest that to Optimus and offer to help write a draft for him. I'm good at loopholes._

_Yes, closing them._ Riella smirked. _Coming with me to meet the Arcee trio tonight?_

_No reason not to, _Prowl commented thoughtfully, glancing at the setting sun. _What time?_

Riella checked her schedule, making sure the time hadn't changed since she set it. It hadn't. _Approximately 10:17:36, local time._

_That's approximate?_ Prowl teased, starting back toward the hangar. _When do we need to leave?_

_In about half an hour._ Riella sighed, spotting a figure in the hangar, and pointed. _There's Ironhide, probably here to tell me to get ready. He wanted to leave an hour ago._

_Of course he did._

Sure enough, the weapons specialist was headed toward them at a jog. "Hey, ninja-bots! If you're coming, get your afts in gear!"

"Ironhide, we don't have to leave yet -" Riella sighed, shaking her head.

"- It's not _that_ far to the landing site," Prowl finished, grimacing as Ironhide gestured with a cannon. "Watch where you're – "

"– Pointing that!" Riella ducked.

"Yeah, well, if they're early, what then?" Ironhide skidded to a halt beside them, apparently too excited to be annoyed with their alternate talking. "Come on!"

Riella shook her head again and smiled. "We can leave early, Prowl. You know why – "

"– He wants to get there so soon. Believe me, I know." Prowl elbowed the weapons specialist in the chest plate, and got a shove in reply that almost knocked him over and forced Riella to grab onto his shoulder for support. "Ow! I suppose there's no need to ask – "

"– If you're eager to see Chromia," Riella finished with a grin.

Ironhide glared. "You wouldn't think this was funny if it was you."

Riella and Prowl exchanged a quick look. _He's right. _"Sorry, 'Hide," the duo said simultaneously.

Rolling his optics, Ironhide transformed and took off at top speed. Riella and Prowl followed him, Prowl reprimanding Ironhide over the comm.

::Ironhide, slow down. Speed limit, remember?::

::I don't need speed limits.:: Nonetheless, Ironhide slowed down a bit when Prowl made an irritated sound. Excited and worried he might be, but the weapons specialist still remembered who was in command.

It was about an hour's drive to the selected landing site, but even with that, they still arrived well before time according to Riella's chrono. She ran a quick scan, checking for humans, before giving the other two the go-ahead to transform.

Prowl shook his head, bracing his foot against the ground and examining one tire for wear. "I told you we would be early."

"Well, _excuse me_ for caring about my bondmate," Ironhide snapped, rolling his optics. "You'd think you'd understand how this works."

Prowl's optics flickered lighter in surprised anger. "Did I _say _you didn't care about her? It was a comment, Ironhide."

"A stupid one," Ironhide growled.

"Oh, really?" Prowl's annoyance spilled over. "What crawled up _your _tailpipe and died?"

"Stop it!" Riella stepped between them, sighing in frustration. "You're both acting like younglings. I know you're stressed, Ironhide, but he didn't mean any harm, so stop before you do something you'll regret later." _Prowl, lay off him! You know you wouldn't appreciate it if the positions were reversed._

_They've been reversed, _Prowl protested, as Ironhide glared at him and stalked off to the opposite end of the clearing. _Why is he allowed to mock me whenever he likes?_

Riella sighed. _Prowl, you know slagging well that there's a difference. I know you enjoy verbal sparring, but now is not the time. _ She sat down in a meditative position and closed her optics, trying to rest her processor a bit before dealing with anyone again.

Moments later, her optics snapped open when her comm unit pinged, indicating a signal in range. Above them, three asteroid-like objects plummeted through the atmosphere.

"They made it…" Ironhide stared up at the sky as though afraid the incoming Autobots would disappear if he didn't keep them in sight.

Prowl did a few quick calculations. "They're a little off course. Riella, you go that way - " he pointed left into the trees " - and meet whoever happens to land there. I think it's Moonracer. I'll go the other direction, meet Arcee, if that's her. 'Hide, you can wait here for Chromia."

"Sounds good." Riella took off, transforming on the run and sprinting through the trees on an intercept course for the landing zone. She reached it just as the Autobot was unfolding from space-travel mode, standing up to reveal a femme a bit taller than Riella. Recognition sparkled in two sets of blue optics as both femmes smiled.

Riella spoke first, in Cybertronian, since there was no way to know if her friend had absorbed human languages yet. _"Welcome to Earth, Moonracer! It's good to see you."_

_"It's good to see you too." _Moonracer took a few quick steps forward to hug Riella as she responded in the same language._ "I've missed you. It's been far too long."_

Riella returned the hug briefly, smiling. _"Agreed. I love working with the advanced scouts, but our team was one of the best." _Glancing at her friend's protoform mode, she added,_ "I can show you where to find an alt-mode. Follow me."_

Moonracer nodded quickly, and Riella pointed the way toward the Interstate and a narrow embankment that would hide them. Luckily for Riella's patience, it didn't take more than a moment or two for a vehicle to pass by that Moonracer liked. There was a hum and a flash of blue, and a moment later, Riella was kneeling next to a purple motorcycle that she recognized as an MV Agusta, F4 series. Moonracer transformed smoothly and grinned. "Nice. I think I like this planet."

"They do have excellent vehicles." Riella transformed briefly, showing off her own modified Ducati 848 alt-mode, before transforming back. "I see you've found the Internet. Be careful, it's a dangerous place."

"Ha. Like the cybernets back home." Moonracer shrugged. "This is the right language, isn't it?"

"One of several, but yes, English will be the most common on base." Riella led the way back into the trees, toward the originally selected landing site. "Aside from Cybertronian, of course."

"Riella!" Arcee started waving the moment she saw her friend. The pink femme had apparently scanned a bike very similar to Riella's, but retained her original color scheme.

Smiling, Riella accepted Arcee's hug and returned it. "So glad you're here, 'Cee. You too, Chromia." She turned to hug the taller blue femme as well.

"Good to have half the team back together." Chromia smiled, a rare sight from the tough warrior. "So, 'Hide behaving himself?"

"Oh, mostly." Riella rolled her optics. "Except for the last few hours…" Ironhide snorted, but Chromia just smirked and rubbed his shoulder.

"How've you been, Riella?" Arcee did a couple of turns on the wheels that formed her feet, adjusting to the new robot mode.

"It's been an adjustment, getting used to this planet, but so far we're managing." Riella shrugged, trying to be casual about asking what she really wanted to know, and added quietly, "Heard from Icelight lately?"

Chromia's smile disappeared at the mention of their youngest sister. "Not for a few lunar cycles. Last we heard, she was still with Bluestreak, and they were going after a 'Con – Skywarp, I think - in the Beta quadrant."

"Oh." Riella sighed and tried to sound hopeful. "Well, they were online and together a few lunar cycles ago. That's something."

"I'm sorry." Arcee put a hand on Riella's shoulder. "I know it's hard not knowing."

"Yes. It's an unfortunate part of the job." Riella forced a smile. "They will find us. Until then, we have a mission." She shrugged and tried to shake off the sadness that always came with any mention of the missing Autobots. "We should return to base. Ratchet told me to be sure all of you reported to the medbay for standard medical checks ASAP."

There was a chorus of half-serious groans from the cycleformer femmes. "You sure we can't just take on a few 'Cons instead?" Arcee joked.

"That would defeat the purpose," Prowl said dryly. "Relax, Ratchet doesn't have a full medbay yet. And once you meet humans, you'll wish you had taken on the 'Cons."

"They can't be that bad…" Moonracer laughed but looked nervous.

"Oh, they are," Ironhide grumbled. "And you can't punch 'em. That's the worst." He transformed, engine rumbling ominously. ::Let's roll.::

::Copy,:: Chromia responded for all three of her sisters, following Riella and Prowl's lead and materializing a holoform. ::Not far back, right?::

::Not far at all.:: Riella would have been smiling in organic or robot mode.


	4. Chapter 4: Operation Earth

**Another long one. Usual changes, plus a few to the humans, Optimus, and Arcee. Also, better writing and description, because this chapter was one of my worse ones. **

**Chapter 4: Operation Earth**

The Arcees' arrival at the base did cause some havoc, mostly because Ironhide and Chromia set off an alarm by racing in ahead. It only took seconds for human soldiers to rush out of the barracks, shouting orders and reaching for weapons. Riella sighed, transformed, and looked at Prowl. _We're going to have to change some settings on that thing._

_Agreed. _Prowl grimaced when someone started shouting into a megaphone, over a few dozen others who were also yelling. ::Anyone want to shut them up?::

::I got it, Prowl. Autobots, turn your audios down.::

Even with her audio sensors partially deactivated, Riella winced as Ratchet's siren blasted at full volume. The alarm turned off abruptly, and the chaos was replaced by one very faint voice yelling, "Stop that!"

Ratchet turned off the siren with a satisfied expression and glanced at Optimus, who was standing behind him. "Carry on." The Autobot leader looked thoroughly annoyed, but didn't comment, instead turning to the new arrivals.

"Arcee, Chromia, Moonracer. It's a pleasure to have you join us once again. Welcome to Earth. For now, we are operating as a single unit; however, when we have enough Autobots for separate units, you will return to your previously assigned teams unless your division commanders have something else in mind." He glanced at Riella and Ironhide, both of whom promptly shook their heads. The Prime nodded and continued. "After Ratchet ensures that you are still in good physical condition, Ironhide will brief you on the present situation. Riella, you are assigned to monitor duty tonight, with Jazz if he is interested; Prowl, do you mind joining me on night patrol? I am aware you had the same assignment yesterday, but as Ratchet is needed here..."

"And under the circumstances, you can't ask Ironhide." Prowl nodded understandingly. "I have no objections."

"Thank you. We will leave in five standard minutes. Everyone else - dismissed!"

_Be safe on patrol, all right? _Riella hugged Prowl briefly before transforming to organic mode and leaving for the hangar.

_When am I not? _Prowl was smirking. She could sense it without having to check. _I take precautions._

_Except when trying to cover for Jazz, _Riella retorted with a half-smile. _Remember how many times I had to save your aft on Cybertron after you tried to 'think like Jazz would'? _The monitors were in a small (by Autobot standards; by human standards it was huge) room, along with the comm system and one power terminal. She climbed into the oversized chair and checked all the sensors, before switching the comm system over to pick up any incoming signals and settling back in the seat with a datapad. Research time.

Her internal chrono said she'd been on duty for slightly less than an hour when Arcee swung the door open and looked in. "Hey, Riella. Want some company?"

"If you feel like it. Jazz wasn't interested, apparently." Riella climbed up onto the monitor table, leaving the chair for Arcee. "How was the check-up?"

"Annoying as ever, but we're all still in good shape," Arcee shrugged, accepting the offered chair. "Prowl was right about the makeshift medbay. Ratchet's not happy with it. So what exactly are you watching for?"

"Decepticon activity, civilian humans coming too close to the base, hostile humans or animals, and incoming Autobot signals." Riella pointed to each monitor as she listed off the functions.

Arcee frowned, looking at the first – and biggest – monitor. "Still looking for 'Cons? I thought you offlined Megatron and a few others?"

"Yes, Megatron, Bonecrusher, and Blackout were confirmed KIA. Barricade was in bad shape and Prowl thinks his injuries might have been fatal, but there's no way to know for sure. He's officially MIA on our lists. I know he would have needed help to get out of the battle zone if he survived, so there's at least one other active 'Con out there. Brawl is our best guess." Riella ticked off names on her fingers, counting silently. "Starscream is confirmed alive, Scorponok is listed MIA but assumed to be alive, and there was a possible sighting of Sideways and Drag Strip. I'm hoping we were wrong about that last one. Can you imagine a fully-functional gestalt on Earth?"

"I'd rather not." Arcee leaned back, getting a better look at the monitors. "Scorponok...that's Blackout's symbiote, right?"

"Affirmative." Riella found herself slipping into her 'briefing voice'. "The human soldiers commanded by Captain Lennox fought him in Qatar, and while they definitely injured him, there was no sign of a body. He's not dangerous to 'bots, but the humans had a difficult time with him."

"Speaking of humans, how much do you deal with them?" Arcee gestured toward the door. "I haven't seen any of them since they all panicked when we drove in."

Riella shrugged. "They mostly avoid the hangars. I think most of them are still uncomfortable with us. There's a few that adjusted fast and work with us fairly well; the civilians live off-base, though, so that limits our contact. You'll meet Sam Witwicky - the boy who destroyed Megatron - and his girlfriend Mikaela Banes tomorrow, I believe. Bumblebee is Sam's guardian, so they spend a lot of time here on weekends. They're relatively familiar with us."

"Got it." Arcee nodded and paused. "That's right, I almost forgot that Bee was here with you. How often do you see him?"

"Not much, and less now that we're starting to finalize the arrangements with the humans." Riella cycled the settings again, double-checking the human monitor. "He gets called in on Operation Earth missions every now and then."

"Operation Earth," Arcee repeated. "That's the operation codename?"

"More like a catch-all term for everything we're doing to adjust. Monitor duty, chasing down Decepticons, helping the human soldiers get used to our presence, _et cetera_." The comm unit beeped sharply. Riella spun to look at it, pushing the scanner to maximum. "We've got incoming…" The signal appeared on the screen, and Riella's optics snapped wide. "Wheeljack?"

::**...inbound. Repeat, Wheeljack inbound, Autobots...copy?...**:: The long-range comm crackled with static.

Arcee and Riella both reached for the reply button simultaneously. Riella got there first, keeping her voice level in spite of her surprise. ::Wheeljack, this is Riella at the Autobot base. What is your status?::

::**Inbound…three klicks south of original landing site.**:: Wheeljack's comm hissed and almost cut out, but Riella got the gist.

::**Remain in landing area. We'll be there within an hour. Riella out.**:: Riella shook her head with a rueful smile. "Of course he doesn't call ahead. Arcee, you feel like a late-night - or I guess early morning - ride?"

"I suppose. You want to ride or drive?" Arcee held out a hand to help Riella down from the desk.

"I'll ride." She stepped lightly into Arcee's hand and dropped from there to the ground. "Roll out. I'll comm Ratchet on the way. Patrols are on comm silence except for emergencies."

::Copy.:: Arcee transformed smoothly into a motorcycle very similar to Riella's alt-mode, and took off as soon as the technorganic had a firm grip on the handlebars.

::Riella to Ratchet, do you copy?::

::What?:: The medic's tone was rough, as if he'd been half-asleep. ::Something wrong?::

::The opposite,:: Riella responded. ::Can you or Jazz take over the monitors? Arcee and I just picked up Wheeljack's signal. He's on his way in.::

Ratchet went silent for a second before snapping, ::He what? Couldn't bother to call in?::

::Guess so.:: Riella shrugged, even though he couldn't see her. ::We're on our way to make contact. Knowing Wheeljack, you may want to have the medbay ready.::

::Don't tell me how to do my job, kid,:: Ratchet growled. ::Jazz and I have the monitors covered. You do your job, and let me do mine.::

::Yes, sir:: Riella deadpanned, imagining the look on the medic's face. Sure enough, he responded with the usual phrase.

::Don't call me sir! I work for a living.::

Riella giggled internally, as Arcee opened her comm line and answered for both of them. ::Understood! Sir!::

Both of them laughed at Ratchet's mock-angry reaction. ::Enough already, both of you! Just go find Wheeljack.::

::Copy, Ratchet.:: Riella leaned forward and frowned at a road sign. ::Arcee, slow down a bit. The speed limit's 65.::

::Speed limit?:: Arcee cooperated, but sounded puzzled.

::The maximum speed you can travel at on this road,:: Riella elaborated.

::They regulate that? Why?::

::Safety, I assume,:: Riella guessed. ::Once you see human drivers, it will make more sense.::

::We never needed those on Cybertron,:: Arcee pointed out. ::Even with drivers like the twins.::

::True, but humans…:: Riella debated how to explain. ::Squish.::

::Ick.:: Arcee sped up, until she was going five miles over. ::What happens if you go too fast?::

Riella spent the next fifteen minutes explaining the concept of police officers, speeding tickets, and getting pulled over. ::So...please don't get pulled over.::

::Fine with me.:: Arcee turned off the highway in an abrupt swerve.

::What are you doing?:: Riella held onto the handlebars for dear life, wishing she'd worn a helmet. With Prowl, the bond told her every move he planned on making before he made it – riding with him was even easier than driving herself. She had no such advantage with Arcee. Being thrown off was a distinct possibility.

::They don't have speed limits offroad, right?::

::No, but –:: Riella bit her tongue when Arcee bounced over a rock. ::Ow! That doesn't make it a good idea.::

::We'll get there faster this way, then.:: Arcee tried to swerve around more rocks, which didn't really work. ::Sorry. Just hang on.::

Riella sighed, unsure if she was bleeding or not, and devoted all of her attention to staying balanced. Faster rarely equaled easier. Still, it had the desired effect – their travel time was cut down, and they skidded into the range of Wheeljack's signal fifteen minutes earlier than Riella had calculated.

The moment they stopped, Riella slid clear of the bike and stepped away, allowing Arcee to transform. "Wheeljack? You there?" The pink femme scanned the narrow back-alley hopefully.

"Right here, ladies." The mech stepped out of the shadows. He'd apparently already scanned an alt-mode, because his paneling was white, green, and red. "You're early. Nice timing."

"We took a shortcut." Riella transformed to her robot mode so that she could look him in the optic. "How did you end up off course, and why didn't you contact us earlier? We would have given you a closer location to land."

"Um…" Wheeljack shrugged, a little too casually. "Well, I thought my new tracking device would work, but...it didn't. I couldn't pick up your signals until I entered the atmosphere."

"You tested one of your inventions on yourself?" Riella arched one eyebrow ridge with a sigh. "You're lucky to even be online."

"Hey, about half of my inventions work very well." Wheeljack crossed his arms and tried to look offended. The effect was ruined when Arcee elbowed him, causing him to jump sideways.

"Yeah, and the other half usually ends up destroying your lab and sometimes parts of you as well." The pink femme chuckled and shook her head. "Ratchet's gonna be mad."

"Oh dear, I'm scared." Wheeljack shrugged and transformed, into a primarily-white racecar. Riella looked at him quizzically.

::Is that from a video game?:: She had time to transform, along with Arcee, before Wheeljack responded.

::Possibly. So, Optimus's report was pretty limited. What's been happening?::

::That's a long story.:: Riella sighed. ::Where do I start?::

It took the rest of the ride back to the base to explain everything, especially since (to Riella's annoyance) Wheeljack kept interrupting and asking for clarification about Earth technology. Apparently the exact heat temperature of a sabot round was important, no matter how off topic. Riella answered whatever questions she could, including the ones that made her nervous – sabot round manufacturing? Really? – but usually had to point him back to the Internet. Luckily, when they arrived, Ratchet, Optimus, Moonracer, and Prowl were standing outside waiting for them, along with a tired-looking Lennox. Riella gladly transformed with a final comment. ::Your turn, Prime.::

Optimus shook his head sternly at her. "Welcome to Earth, Wheeljack."

Ratchet gave a metallic snort. "Hmmph. I suppose you almost killed yourself with an invention again. How you survived on your own I don't know." He was trying his best to look angry, but Riella caught the smirk that emerged occasionally. "At least tell me you didn't blow yourself up on entry this time."

"I missed you too, Ratchet." Wheeljack rolled his optics with a wry grin.

"Yeah, yeah. Come on, you walking malfunction, I need to make sure you haven't destroyed anything too essential." Ratchet grabbed the inventor's arm and hauled him off in the direction of the medbay, still muttering. "If I have to recalibrate all of your systems again, I swear I'm going to make you regret it..." Optimus shook his head and followed the two.

Prowl smirked at the look on Lennox's face. "They've been friends for millennia, practically brothers. You have no need to worry. There won't be a fight."

"Okay." Lennox nodded in visible relief. "I know guys like that. Thought that's what it was, but with you guys…"

"It can be difficult to tell," Riella agreed with a slight smile. "No worries, Captain."

Prowl glanced down at Riella as Lennox headed off in the direction of the barracks. "Riella, you're off duty, yes?" When she answered in the affirmative, he placed a hand lightly on her shoulder. "We should get some recharge while we have the time."

"Agreed." Riella wrapped her arm around his waist, and the two of them started toward their room in the hangar.


	5. Chapter 5: Seekers

**The writing in this chapter is one big reason for the edit. Seriously, it was awful. Riella and Chromia were completely incompetent when it came to a fight, Thundercracker wasn't much of a threat, the Autobot meeting accomplished nothing, and Riella got taken down wayyyyy too easily. (An arm injury? Really? I honestly don't know what my justification was for that.) So hopefully this one is significantly improved. There was a lot of editing, especially to the fight scene and the Autobot interaction. Also, chapter 6 was nothing but filler, and has officially been removed. Part of it was merged into the end of this one so I didn't have to re-do the new chapter 6 (formerly chapter 7).**

**Chapter 5: Seekers**

To Riella's great relief, Chromia, Arcee, and Moonracer adjusted to Earth quickly enough to be on regular patrol schedules four days after arrival. They still tended to need a guide, though, especially for long-range patrols; which was why, late on Wednesday afternoon, Riella found herself speeding down a deserted road next to Chromia.

::So, why do we need to stay undercover?:: Chromia matched Riella's pace, staying just off her back tire. ::Didn't you save their entire race?::

Riella would have shrugged, in robot mode. ::Yes, but very few humans respond well to us. Staying out of sight is part of our agreement with their governments.::

Chromia snickered. ::Can you say 'paranoia'?::

::I know, I know. And I thought Sentinel Prime was bad.:: Riella turned carefully off the highway onto a side road, switching on a passive scan in an effort to confirm her suspicions.

::Where are you going?:: Chromia followed, dropping back a few feet.

::See those jets above us? I think we've got Seekers. We can't run any scans; if we do they'll identify us for sure. I don't know if they've picked us up on radar yet.::

Chromia pulled alongside Riella, engine humming with tension. ::So you're trying to lead him off. Good thinking. Is there somewhere nearby that we can make a stand?::

::Not that I know of. Keep an optic open. I'm headed away from any possible human contact.:: Riella decelerated slightly. ::Wait to see if he takes the bait.::

::Copy that.::

Sure enough, Riella's external optical sensors picked up the jet turning and dropping, following their general trajectory. ::Seeker is confirmed.::

::Copy,:: Chromia responded calmly. ::Any idea who?::

::Best guess says Thundercracker. Starscream's a different model, and if that were Skywarp, he'd have teleported to get ahead of us.:: Riella accelerated and turned hard right, skidding at a 70-degree angle to the ground and sending dust flying as she left the pavement. ::I suggest we take this offroad.::

::Right behind you.:: Chromia followed, pulling alongside Riella again as the jet dropped toward them. Riella's visual sensors could make out Cybertronian symbols on the plane's underside

::Visual is confirmed on Thundercracker. Weapons are active. Transform on three…two….::

Laser fire exploded behind the duo, forcing them to swerve abruptly. Riella transformed in mid-spin, landing and sliding a few feet in a half-crouch with her faceplate up and her blades extended. Chromia leaped to her side, mini-blasters activated, growling, "Bring it, Seeker!"

Thundercracker transformed in midair to land with an earth-shaking thud in front of them. He was almost as big as Optimus, Riella noted, roughly twice Chromia's size, and had a heavy cannon on each arm. Not to mention flight. This wouldn't be an easy fight, especially not here. "Well, what do we have here? You little cycleformers shouldn't be out here all on your own...you might get hurt."

"I wouldn't be too confident." Riella took a step forward. Chromia moved to the left, so that Thundercracker would have to fight them on two sides.

The Decepticon laughed. "Ooh, you think you're a challenge. This should be fun." With no more warning than that, he opened fire, lunging toward them with guns blazing.

Riella backflipped and rolled, evading the attack easily. Chromia dropped back a few steps and fired her own cannon, forcing Thundercracker to turn and face her; as he did, Riella spin-kicked him in the side, throwing him off balance. He stumbled, and Riella took advantage of the mistake, blades flashing in a rapid one-two pattern that forced him to back up and try to block with both arm cannons. He couldn't get an angle to shoot at either of them as long as she stayed in close…

Unfortunately, that also put Riella within arm's reach of Thundercracker, and kept Chromia from using her gun to keep him distracted. The smaller femme barely got in a half-dozen quick hits before the Decepticon snarled, knocked her blades aside with one arm, and punched her solidly in the gut. The blow jolted Riella backward nearly two yards, and the follow-up smacked into her shoulder and sent her sprawling. _Ow! _Chromia opened fire again as Riella hit the ground.

There was no time to be in pain. Riella rolled onto her back, planted both feet, and flipped herself upright in one smooth movement, deflecting a shot from Thundercracker off her left blade. The Decepticon snarled, looking from one to the other as if he couldn't decide who to go after first. When one of Chromia's shots caved his left knee in and Riella got in close enough to slice his right arm to the frame before backing off again, he apparently decided it wasn't worth it, because he transformed and rocketed off into the sky.

Chromia took a few final shots. "Come back and fight like a mech, Decepticoward!"

"Don't bait him, Chromia." Riella rubbed the dent in her shoulder. "Ratchet's going to be upset as it is. Picking a fight will add Prowl, Ironhide, and Optimus to that list."

"Okay, okay." Chromia gave the disappearing jet a final glare before deactivating her blasters.

"We should get back to base." Riella examined the dents in her midsection and shoulder, determined they were not too deep to prevent using vehicle mode, and transformed. ::I would call it in, but we have no idea if the 'Cons are listening. Keep an optic out for anyone following.::

Two hours later, Riella sat on the medbay examining table with Prowl next to her, wincing as Ratchet poked at the dent in her shoulder. Optimus, the Arcee trio, and Ironhide stood nearby, and Jazz was leaning against the wall by the door.

"So, you ran into Thundercracker, huh?" Ratchet carefully removed the outer armor on Riella's shoulder. "Well, he landed a good hit, but it didn't do too much damage to the internal circuitry. Most of it seems to be superficial."

"And there was no sign of Skywarp or Starscream?" Optimus looked from Riella to Chromia.

"None." Chromia shook her head.

"That ain't good." Jazz spoke up. "If two Seekers are here, odds are the others are too. And if we're dealin' with all of them, separately, our job just got a lot harder."

"Thank you for stating the obvious, Jazz." Prowl started pacing again, the way he did when he was thinking. "We need to know how many are here, and where they are."

Riella frowned. "I don't see how we could do much more than we're already doing. We have everything within range monitored." She tried to sit up a little straighter. Ratchet flicked the middle of her chevron with a finger.

"Sit still, you. I still have to check that midsection damage."

Optimus looked at Prowl. "You're the tactician - any suggestions?"

Prowl shook his head. "Increasing patrol surveillance would stretch us too thin, and exhausting ourselves will open us up to further attack. We can't count on human assistance yet, not until we finish the terms of our alliance."

Riella slid forward a bit, leaning the heels of her hands on the table. "We can see if Bumblebee has some spare time. He might be able to take a patrol or two, at least until someone else arrives and can cover it. Ow! Ratchet! That _hurt_."

"Good," the medic retorted. "Unless you want me to poke my finger in that direction again, sit down, shut up, and let me do my slagging job."

"Fine." Rolling her optics, Riella let the medic push her back onto the bunk and settled for listening.

"Yeah, that's a start," Ironhide said. "But if Bee can't provide backup, we'll have to find another way."

"Sir?" Prowl turned to Optimus. "I suggest you get that alliance worked out, and fast."

"I'm certainly doing my best, Prowl." Optimus started toward the door. "Everyone, be on the alert for Seekers while on patrol, and also here. Prowl, make sure Bumblebee is aware of the possible danger, and arrange patrols that are capable of taking on any given Seeker."

"Yes, sir." Prowl nodded, already mentally running through a string of possible patrols. Riella smiled at him. _Prowl, you don't have to plan every step right this second. You have time._

_I know. I enjoy it._

"Now, if you're quite finished, clear out of my medbay," Ratchet snapped, pointing to the door. "I need to finish fixing this, and I can't do it with you holding staff meetings here. You too, Jazz, but stay in the base and no transforming, or you'll wake up tomorrow as an iron. Clear?"

"Clear as crystal, Hatchet," Jazz quipped, ducking through the door as Ratchet tossed a wrench in his direction threateningly. The others followed, Optimus sighing in probable frustration.

"Now, about that injury, Riella." Ratchet turned back to see that Prowl was sitting on the bunk beside Riella. "You think my orders didn't apply to you, kid?"

"They shouldn't," Prowl protested. "_I _am not in your way."

"Well, _I_ think you are, and I'm the one making the calls here, ninja-bot! Now get out of my medbay. I'll send Riella to find you when I'm done fixing her. Of course, if you insist on staying..." Ratchet went to the supply table and picked up a large syringe-like object with an evil grin. "I could always give you your antivirus shots now. It's only two months early."

Prowl's optics widened fractionally, and Riella sensed the sudden apprehension. She couldn't blame him. Antivirus shots were possibly one of the most painful routine things any 'bot ever went through, and there was really no way to make it hurt less. Prowl didn't _think _Ratchet meant it, but couldn't be sure.

…_Come find me when Ratchet's done, alright? _Prowl brushed his hand across Riella's cheek, slid off the bunk, and left the room surprisingly quickly.

Riella giggled as Ratchet set the syringe down and came back, smirking. "Works every time. Now, kiddo, I'm going to have you lie back so I can get to those busted cables easier. Just relax and it'll be over soon."

The technorganic obeyed, staring at the ceiling as Ratchet pried off the dented midsection armor and started working on the damaged wiring. It wasn't particularly painful, given the lack of serious broken wires or leaking energon, but it certainly couldn't be called comfortable.

To her relief, Ratchet was correct when he said it wouldn't take long. Less than half an hour later, the medic replaced her armor (after popping the dent out neatly) and helped her off the bunk. "You're good to go, but those wires are still delicate, so take it easy. In other words, pick a fight in the next day or two and I'll ground you to base."

"Yes, Ratchet." Riella slid off the table and started toward the door. Halfway there, she turned and looked back. "Incidentally, how was Wheeljack?"

"Unbelievably, he's fine." Ratchet turned to organize his supplies, clearly dismissing her. "He's on monitor duty, and been banned from building a lab until I have time to help him."

"No surprise there. Just thought I'd check." Riella left the medbay, heading to find Prowl and hopefully solve the problem of the alliance.

When she got to the main hangar, though, she was greeted with an excited squeak and a hug from behind that almost knocked her down.

::Riella!::

"Bumblebee?" Riella twisted around to return the hug. "Didn't expect you out here again so soon. How are you doing?"

Bumblebee let go and stepped back, doing an excited little dance and playing back a song track. **Come on, what'cha waiting for?**

"That's…vague, but I'll take it as good," Riella grinned, looking around. "Where are Sam and Mikaela?"

Bumblebee seemed to search for a song for a moment, then simply responded over the comm link. ::Talking to Optimus.::

"Ah." She nodded. "What are you doing here?"

::Tranquility, Nevada is boring.::

Riella arched an optic ridge. "I suppose it would be. I assume you haven't seen any Seekers, then?"

**No chance, no way,** Bumblebee responded, sounding surprised.

"Chromia and I ran into Thundercracker today. Keep an optic open – he got away."

Bumblebee's optics widened, and he made a concerned squeak, touching Riella's uninjured shoulder and glancing at the scraped paint on her midsection.

"No, I'm okay." She smiled at him. "Minimal damage. Though I think Ratchet will cause some damage himself if I don't stop showing up with injuries after patrol."

Bumblebee chirped and commented over the comm, ::Part of the job.::

::Yes, but he does have a point.:: Riella grimaced. ::I _have _taken a lot of damage since Mission City.::

::So are you allowed to leave the base?::

Riella shrugged. "Technically, yes, but I really have nothing I would do other than patrol, and Ratchet may not be happy with that."

::Hmm.:: Bumblebee grinned at her. ::You could always help me help Sam and Mikaela study for finals. I told them I would. It was the only way they could come out to the base with me.::

Riella arched an eyebrow. "Why would I do that?"

::'Cause you love me?:: Bumblebee gave her a pleading look that was slightly negated by the fact that he was trying not to smile. ::And 'cause you're better than I am at math and chemistry, and have a few hours to explain it?::

"Well…" Riella considered. She really didn't have anything better to do. "All right. Where are you set up?"

::Briefing room 2.::

Two hours of futility later, Riella all but slammed the trigonometry book shut and leaned back in her chair with a groan. "Sam, did you pay _any _attention in class? At all?"

Sam shrugged and looked embarrassed. "Um…"

With another groan, Riella rubbed her forehead, trying to ease the rapidly forming processor ache. "I have no idea how many ways there are to explain this, but I believe I've invented a few new ones. Now I understand why Bumblebee wanted my help."

Bumblebee glanced at her sheepishly. ::Sorry….::

By the time Bumblebee and the humans left for the night, Riella had come to the conclusion that any teacher who managed to explain trigonometry to a human teenager deserved a medal. As well as a life-long break.


	6. Chapter 6: Jets and Corvettes

**Mostly edited fight scenes and added some family interaction between Prowl, Riella, Bumblebee, and the new arrivals. Not too much is different except for improved description.**

**Chapter 6: Jets and Corvettes**

The next few days were quiet with no sign of Decepticons, but as always, that didn't mean the Autobots were able to lower their guard. On the contrary, in fact – as Prowl pointed out in the Friday debrief, quiet after known enemy activity was rarely a good sign. As a result, the first time Riella had a few spare hours, she requested permission to check up on Bumblebee and the humans personally. Optimus agreed, after some consideration, on the condition that Ironhide dropped her off to avoid any public transformations.

Judy Witwicky answered the door the instant Riella knocked, to the technorganic's surprise. "Well, hello there! I'm so glad you decided to visit! Sam and Mikaela will be home in a few minutes. And Bumblebee, I suppose. They had finals today, you know."

"Yes, I know." Riella accepted the glass of water Judy offered her, though she wasn't particularly thirsty. "Thank you. I helped them study, or attempted to."

"You did? That's wonderful! You know, I was so worried Sammy wouldn't study for it at all, he's such a procrastinator, and I didn't think the Autobots would -" She made a few vague gestures with her hands. "I mean, they don't have sons in high school, so they wouldn't understand it."

Riella found it mildly amusing that Judy didn't seem to consider _her_ an Autobot. Of course, the woman had never seen her transform, though she knew Riella was technorganic. "You might be surprised. Many of us have raised sparklings at some point, myself included. Prowl and I have four sons."

"You have children?" Judy's eyes widened comically. "I didn't know you could...I mean, how exactly do you and a robot...you know...have..." She trailed off, making a few more vague gestures that Riella _really _was not interested in understanding. Some things one just didn't need to know.

"It's a rather complicated process, but essentially, they are conceived when a mech and femme - male and female - combine their sparks and part of the combined spark splits off." Riella tapped the panel on her chest that covered her spark chamber. "The spark then merges with a protoform - a blank miniature robot - and becomes a sparkling. Prowl and I had twins via sparkbonding, as well as adopting two war orphans.

"Really?" Judy stared at her in disbelief. "All boys? You must have been so busy! Do we know any of them?"

Riella nodded. "Bumblebee, your son's guardian, is our oldest. And yes, I suppose _busy _is one way to put it." She decided that explaining the process of raising four sparklings in a war zone would be too complicated, and didn't bother. Sam's mother wasn't listening anyway, nodding and smiling. She'd focused on the first sentence.

"So you must be excited to see Bumblebee! Who are the others?"

Riella shook her head. "You wouldn't know them. None of them are on Earth yet."

"Oh my!" Judy reached out to give Riella a very unexpected hug. The Autobot backed up in surprise, holding up one hand.

"Um..."

Judy didn't notice. "That must be so hard for you! How did you ever let them go? I have so much trouble even letting Sammy go off by himself for a few days, and they're somewhere else in _space_! I'm so sorry."

"I appreciate the sympathy." Riella kept a wary optic open in case the woman went for another hug. The sympathy was genuine and Riella did understand the gesture, but she hadn't been touched by organics in thousands of years. Handshakes were fine, brief contact for combat or rescue was fine, but hugging was not acceptable just yet. "They are all adults and capable warriors. I trust them to take care of themselves."

"But you must miss them so much." Judy sighed. "I can't even imagine that."

Arching one eyebrow, Riella nodded with no more comment on the topic. To her relief, a signal appeared in the left corner of her HUD. "I believe Bumblebee, Sam, and Mikaela are home."

"Wonderful!" Judy led the way out of the house to the driveway (even though Riella had expected to wait inside), giving Sam a hug as he stepped out of Bumblebee's driver's side door. "Sammy, how did your test go? Hi, Mikaela. It's so nice to see you. Look, Riella's here!"

Sam pulled away, looking awkwardly at his girlfriend. "Uh...yeah, it went fine, Mom. Hi, Riella. What're you doing here?"

"I just came to visit. I didn't get to spend much time with Bumblebee while he was at the base." There was no point in explaining the Seekers – it would only upset the humans. Instead, Riella smiled and patted Bumblebee's hood. He responded by rolling down the window and playing a sound track. **You do like me!**

Riella smirked at the choice. "Interested in joining me for a drive?" ::We need to talk.::

**Just you and me right to the end...**played from inside the Camaro. ::Copy that. As long as we're not gone too long.::

"Okay, give me a minute to run into the garage and transform, then we'll go." She ducked inside, mentally reminding herself to thank Ratchet later for originally setting up a small robot mode for her, and drove out of the garage a moment later with her holographic rider activated. ::Ready?::

::When you are.:: Bumblebee spun around faster than most human cars could have, following Riella out of the driveway and matching her speed.

The duo stuck to two-lane back roads, Riella reasoning that it would make it easier for them to spot any tails. It did mean that driving next to each other required one of them to blatantly disregard human road rules, which was fine with Riella and made Bumblebee slightly uncomfortable. ::Going native, Bee?::

::I just think we'll be spotted more easily this way. Humans wouldn't be doing this.::

::Yes they would,:: Riella pointed out. She had scanned her alt-mode at the same time Prowl had, from a pair of human riders driving side-by-side on the highway. ::Anyway, that's not the point. I wanted to keep you up-to-date on the briefing. According to Prowl, the Seekers don't seem to be out for blood yet, just checking out Earth, but that could change in a second.::

::Gotcha.:: Bumblebee accelerated slightly. ::Seen any more?::

::Possible sighting over D.C.:: Riella was about to elaborate when her audio sensors picked up a familiar sound. ::You getting that?::

::Jet engines.:: Bumblebee's engine shifted into a lower gear. ::You think Seekers?::

::Can't run an active scan, but I think we would be stupid to ignore it.:: The passive scan, of course, told her nothing. ::Undentified. Let's get off the main road.::

::Copy.:: Bumblebee responded quickly. ::There's an exit ahead. Leads to a one-lane road and a lake. The lake will be occupied, but I bet we can find an open space to make a stand somewhere off the road.::

::Sounds good.:: Riella skidded through the turn, tires throwing up dust, with Bumblebee right behind her. ::You scouted this area?::

::Not out here, but I've been down the road a few times. Sam and Mikaela like it a lot. This is where we were when I first met Mikaela. Sam gave her a ride home.::

::Oh yes. The "faulty engine" incident.:: Riella slid off to the side of the road, avoiding a pothole ::The jets aren't following. Either they're not Seekers, or they didn't pick us up.::

Bumblebee braked sharply. ::Or they got ahead of us!:: Riella hit the brakes and let herself spin sideways as the two seekers rocketed across the lake toward them.

::Transform! Now!:: Riella followed her own order, transforming, snapping her faceplate into place, and taking a defensive stance with her blades forming an X in front of her. Beside her, Bumblebee's cannon powered, and he growled something unintelligible.

"You _again?_" Thundercracker sighed mockingly. "You never learn, do you?"

"I'm not the one who ran from our last fight," Riella retorted. ::Bumblebee! Call base for backup. I'll try the bond.:: _Prowl, can you hear me? We've got Seekers!_

"Taunting a Seeker. _That's _a smart move," Skywarp sneered. "You're _so_ tough with your car buddy to back you up."

Riella rolled her optics. "Stand down, Skywarp. You won't win this fight." Prowl's voice echoed in her processor. _I'm on my way!_

"Would you bet on that?" Skywarp disappeared and reappeared, barely two feet from Riella, with one fist already swinging at her head. "Prove it!"

The femme ducked and spin-kicked, slamming the point of one heel into Skywarp's midsection. The Decepticon grunted and doubled over, and Riella took advantage of the opening, scissoring her blades toward his wings and cutting a deep gash into both of them. Skywarp screeched in pain, and Riella leaped back to avoid catching a blow to her still-sensitive midriff. ::Bumblebee! You all right?::

::I got him.:: Metal crashed behind Riella as Thundercracker and Bumblebee exchanged rapid blows, the Seeker tackling the smaller 'bot and launching him through a nearby tree. Riella gritted her teeth. No time to check on him. Skywarp was back up and swinging, forcing Riella back onto the defensive. She spun, barely managing to deflect or dodge his blows as he teleported rapidly, looking for an opening. _Prowl, can't keep this up for long…_

_Hold out. Go to straight defense if you have to. Ratchet and I have an intercept course set, but it's going to be a few minutes. _

_Copy. _Riella cycled her left weapon from blade to cannon and took several quick, precise shots at Skywarp. The teleporter evaded them easily, but it gave her a few seconds of breathing room. ::Bee? Bumblebee, status report!::

::Could use backup…:: Bumblebee's cannon fired repeatedly, in-between shots and yelling from Thundercracker. Riella ducked another attempted blow and backflipped over a kick.

::Hold on. Backup's coming. I have a signal.:: There was no time to look at the signal, not with Skywarp pressing his advantage and coming closer to hitting her each time. The femme struggled to focus. _Watch his left. He leaves that side open when he teleports. _She didn't quite get her blade up in time, and one of his blows grazed the side of her head, almost knocking her off-balance. _Think! Riella, pay attention! _She spun and dropped into a crouch, slicing low and hard toward his right leg. It connected, but the second of impact left her in a vulnerable position. She moved to cover, trying to drop and roll, but before she could, Skywarp snap-kicked her in the chest, sending her flying several yards. She landed hard on her back, jarring her entire frame. Her processor buzzed with the force of impact, blurring her optics, but she could still see Skywarp landing on his feet just to her left, cannon powered. No way for her to reach him without moving, which wouldn't be possible for a few more seconds.

_Prowl, now would be a good time to show up!_

Her audios picked up the sound of two engines on the road, and she smirked up at Skywarp. "Guess who?"

But instead of the black and gold motorcycle she'd expected, a silver Corvette concept car screeched around the corner on two wheels, hit the brakes, and spun out, crashing side-on into Skywarp's legs. The Seeker went down with a scream of pain and a crunch of metal, nearly landing on top of Riella, who rolled out of the way and pushed herself upright in a quick movement. The sports car transformed in mid-slide and landed in a crouch, twin blades very similar to Riella's snapping into place and blue-green optics blazing. Riella's optics widened in shock, but before she had time to speak, a second 'bot, identical to the first except for helmet design and a gold color scheme, shot past her and crashed into Thundercracker, throwing the Decepticon away from Bumblebee.

Thundercracker landed on his back, took one look at the new arrivals, and transformed, rocketing off into the distance. Skywarp, bleeding from both wings and one knee, glared at the four Autobots and vanished. Probably teleporting, some part of Riella's mind noted.

_Riella? What happened? _Prowl was close now. _Are you alright?_

_Yes…fine._ Riella blinked and shook her head, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. "Sideswipe? Sunstreaker?"

The silver mech grinned, deactivated his blades, and crossed the few yards between them in two steps, yanking Riella into a hug. "Don't look so shocked! You'd think you weren't expecting us."

His brother held out a hand to Bumblebee, pulling the smaller mech upright and looking him over for injuries. "You hurt? Huh?" When Bumblebee responded in the negative, the gold mech smirked. "Frag, we're _good_. Without us, you two would've been scrap."

Riella half-sighed and half-laughed, shaking her head and returning Sideswipe's hug. "Good to see your ego is still intact, Sunny. Although I have to admit, your timing was excellent. When did you reach Earth? How long have you been here?"

Sideswipe released her and switched places with his brother, letting Sunstreaker hug the femme while he clapped Bumblebee on the shoulder. "Hey, bro, how's it going? We got here a few hours ago, Riella. Been driving around looking for you guys. Guess we shouldn't've bothered – you found us."

"We didn't even know you were here," Riella said, sentence breaking off with a wince. "Sunny, please try to remember I've just taken repeated blows to the torso…"

"Sorry. My bad." Sunstreaker let go immediately. "What do you mean, you didn't know we were here? Didn't you get the comm?"

**No way,** Bumblebee played over his radio. He glanced at Riella, who shook her head. "No. Nothing."

"Oh." Sideswipe looked crestfallen. "Maybe the comm unit wasn't working. Oh well. We're here now."

A sense over the bond, followed by the skidding of tires, announced Prowl's arrival. The tactician transformed in an instant, staring at the two new arrivals in surprise. He'd sensed it through Riella, of course, but still, there was nothing quite like unexpected reunions. "Sideswipe? Sunstreaker? When – how – "

Sideswipe laughed at the look on Prowl's face, and reached over to give the mech a quick hug. "Few hours. Comm didn't work. C'mon, you know you're glad to see us."

"Of course I am." Prowl shook his head, a rare smile crossing his face as he returned Sideswipe's hug and clapped Sunstreaker on the shoulder. "Unexpected is not the same as unwelcome, you know that! I couldn't be happier to see you. Good to have you finally on Earth."

"Well, look what the cyber-cat dragged in." Ratchet's voice made Riella jump slightly before she remembered that no, Prowl hadn't come alone. The medic studied the twins with a grimace. "Primus, I inventoried the supplies just in time. How long do I have before you trash my medbay? A few hours?"

Sunstreaker grinned. "Tell you what, we'll play nice and give you a full day."

"Slaggin' right you will," Ratchet growled, smacking the younger 'bot lightly up the back of the head. "Prowl, we should get back. I don't know what Seekers were doing here, but we're sitting turtleducks out in the open."

"Affirmative." Prowl nodded and looked around, as if doing a quick unnecessary head count. "Roll out. Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, we'll brief you on the way to base. Bumblebee, stay with us until we get back to town, then you can return to your charge."


	7. Chapter 7: Primus Help Us

**Same idea here as last chapter. Better Riella and twins writing, mostly, but some improvements to Ratchet as well.**

**Chapter 7: Primus Help Us**

The two Corvettes pulled into the base ahead of the others at sixty miles per hour, hitting the brakes square in the middle of the parking lot and skidding to a stop. Riella stopped much more gently behind them and transformed, looking back at the black marks the duo had left on the pavement. "Well, you two have certainly made a mark here already. Keep in mind, this isn't Cybertron. Try to avoid damaging your surroundings."

"That little skid's gonna break something?" Sunstreaker looked skeptical.

Prowl shook his head with a frown. "No, but if you crash into a building, it won't hold up."

"Gotcha." Sideswipe waved as the other 'bots exited the nearest hanger. "Hey, guys. Surprise!"

"You two? Already? Primus, didn't take you long to show. Of course you couldn't bother to call." Chromia gave the twins a mock-stern glare. "Prowl, better hide everything that isn't strapped down. We don't have a brig we can put them in for pranks yet."

"Nice to see you too." Sideswipe chuckled, unperturbed by the mock threat. "That little sister of yours still hangin' around with Blue?"

"Yes, she is." Arcee glanced at the duo with a smile that completely negated her stern tone. "And if she gets hurt, I'm blaming you."

"You can blame me for anything you like as long as you're talking to me," Sideswipe said, grinning. "How are you, Arcee?"

"Oh, I'll live." Arcee rolled her optics with a smirk. "Your arrival's not going to completely ruin my day, I suppose."

"Ha-ha-ha, femme," Sunstreaker retorted. "What Sides sees in you, I don't know."

"You just have a problem seeing past your ego, Sunshine," Sideswipe mocked, grinning.

Sunstreaker elbowed his brother in the chest, hard. "Don't call me that!"

"Ow!" Sideswipe retaliated by slapping the back of his brother's head. "That hurt!"

"Hey, hey, break it up, you two," Riella said, stepping between the twins before Sunstreaker could retaliate. "Don't damage yourselves _before_ Ratchet's checkup."

"Right." Sideswipe glanced nervously at the medic. "Check-up. Any way I can skip it?"

"You do, and I'll hunt you down and drag you in," Ratchet said dryly. "Relax, it's basic scans and a couple of injections. You'll hate every second of it, but you won't die."

Sunstreaker grimaced. "Fine. Where's Prime?"

"Patrol on the other end of town." Jazz limped up and grinned in the twins' direction. "Hey, mechs. Nice t' see ya."

"Hey, Jazz." Sunstreaker noted the panels attached to the SIC's torso and frowned. "What happened to _you?_"

"Long story," Ratchet growled. "Both of you, medbay, now. Jazz can whine to you about his horrible luck _after _I get this over with. Then you're up, Riella. Still don't like the looks of that midsection dent."

With a sigh, both twins followed the medic, Sideswipe in particular looking like he was heading to an execution. Jazz grimaced and shook his head. "Don't envy them, but I s'pose they'll get back to prankin' soon enough. First trip back to the medbay ain't gonna be fun, though."

"Mm." Riella nodded and sighed. "They'll be fine with Ratchet for a few hours. Prowl, I have something I want to look into. Do you need me for anything?"

_No. What are you looking into?_

_Oddly familiar noises behind the hangar. I have my suspicions, but I'll let you know. Don't worry. No danger._ Riella shifted into organic mode and made her way behind the hanger, following the faint sounds until they led her to a pile of unused boxes scattered along the back wall. She moved the boxes carefully, looking for the source of the noise. What she saw drew a rare, almost childish, smile of delight.

Twenty minutes later, Prowl walked into his office and was greeted with a sight that made him stop in his tracks and stare. Riella sitting on the desk in organic mode was more common than not, but what she held in her lap…

"Riella, where did the cats come from?"

"Behind the hangar. I believe she was probably someone's lost pet at one point." Riella stroked the tabby cat, which purred in response. "See? Most likely tame. Also, she has kittens." She gestured to a box beside her, filled with a blanket and four tiny balls of fluff. _Can we keep them?_

_I don't know, Riella..._ Prowl sighed. "Are you sure it's a good idea to have pets on the base?"

"Well, no," Riella admitted, scratching the cat behind the ears lightly. "But I raised a le-matya as a Vulcan child. I am sure I can manage a few domestic cats as a Cybertronian adult. Care principles are very much the same, simply scaled down."

Prowl looked from the cats to his mate. How was he supposed to say no when he knew that her pet feline was one thing she missed from the planet of her birth? "I suppose, but try to avoid any incidents with them."

"Of course." Riella sent a quick pulse of reassurance through the bond. "I am quite good with felines. Have you ever held one?"

"I have not."Prowl accepted the tiny animal she placed in his palm, studying it with interest as it batted tiny claws at his fingers and hissed. "Fascinating."

"Careful," Riella warned. "Those claws won't draw energon, but they _will_ leave scratches on the metal. Worse than dataslip cuts, and there's nothing Ratchet can do."

"Understood." Prowl set the kitten down in the box. It hissed at him again before curling up and licking one paw. The mech shook his head. "I assume you will attempt to train them out of that?"

Riella shrugged. "May not be possible. Cats are notoriously temperamental."

"I see."Prowl looked down at the cat in her lap, switching back to the bond to ensure she wouldn't take offense at his next comment. _And yet you like them._

_Evidently I enjoy the company of aloof and temperamental creatures. _Riella arched an eyebrow at him with a slight smirk.

As Riella had expected, reactions to her new pets were mixed at best. Humans in general liked them; Autobots in general had no opinion or disliked them. Sideswipe, at least, thought it was a good idea, and Arcee offered to help with pet care, but Ratchet and Ironhide were unhappy with the new development and didn't care who knew it. In fact, Ratchet was still grumbling about it days later.

"Primus help us if they decide to adopt every stray that shows up on base," the medic muttered, shooing a kitten off his work table. "Frag it, Riella, I've got better things to do than deal with rodents."

"Felines," Riella corrected automatically, picking up the kitten. "And they will _solve _any possible rodent problem, not cause it."

"Huh," Ratchet growled. "As long as we don't get any more."

"Um, hate to break it to you, Ratch'…" The two looked up to see Wheeljack shuffling his feet nervously in the door. "But there's one in my lab. A big one. It doesn't look like any of Riella's. In fact it really doesn't look like a domestic cat at all."

"Really?" Riella turned and started toward Wheeljack's lab, Ratchet following with a huff of annoyance. "I wonder if they have wildcats here. How did it get in?"

"No idea," Wheeljack shrugged. "It's up on a shelf."

Riella opened the lab door and was promptly greeted by a hellish snarl from the highest shelf in the corner. A very large, very angry bobcat flattened its ears back against its head and hissed at her, claws digging into the wood.

"Well, then." Riella's optics widened slightly. "Lovely." She sighed and reached up for the bobcat. It hissed again, yowled, and raked its claws across her forearm, scraping paint off and leaving narrow grooves in the metal. "Ow! Hey. Stop that." Ignoring its attempts to shred her arm, she scooped it up and dragged it off the shelf, holding it at arm's length. "Quite the aggressive little thing, isn't he?"

"You bothered to note the sex?" Ratchet asked incredulously. Riella rolled her optics at him.

"It did that when I tried to grab it, too." Wheeljack displayed scratches on one hand and arm. "What do we do with it? Try to tame it?"

"Release it outside of the base," Riella said, wincing at the screeching noises the cat continued to make. "This one is wild and going to stay that way."

"What _is _that?" Sideswipe poked his head through the door, rubbing one audio sensor. "It's really loud."

"This," Riella said, holding up the animal, "is a bobcat that we're about to release somewhere outside. Because if we keep it here, it will mangle someone."

"Worse than The Claw?" Sideswipe grinned at the mention of the kitten Sam had named for its tendency to attack anyone within reach. "Want me to take it out? I was gonna go see who's out in the parking lot anyway."

His femme creator looked at him suspiciously. "You're not going to put it in your brother's berth, are you? Or the medbay?"

"What? No!" Sideswipe gave her an innocent look. "Why would I do that? I'll make sure it goes outside."

Riella debated calling him on his plan – he clearly had something in mind – but couldn't figure out what and decided against it when she heard Prowl's voice over the bond. _Are you busy? I could use a hand with this final draft._

_No, I'll be right there._ How much trouble could Sideswipe get into with a cat he could barely hold? "Fine, here. Careful, it'll take the paint right off your hands."

Sideswipe took the bobcat, wincing as it tried to remove one of his fingers, and disappeared down the hallway. Wheeljack looked at Riella. "You know he's up to something, right?"

"Of course he is," Riella said with a sigh. "But unfortunately, duty – better known as my sparkmate – calls. I'll deal with Sideswipe later."

She didn't quite make it to Prowl's office before she heard the infernal screeching redouble from outside, followed by a human screaming and tires squealing. She transformed, shot down the hall, and skidded into the parking lot just in time to see a government car almost crash into Ironhide's foot on the way out of the gate. "What happened?"

Sideswipe looked up at her, still perfectly innocent. "Oh, nothing." Behind him, his brother's poker face wasn't quite as good – Sunstreaker was trying to stifle laughter. Sideswipe shot him a glare. "Just…balancing a score."

Riella sighed. "Sideswipe, did you put an angry bobcat in Agent Simmons' car?"

"No." Sideswipe noticed Riella's optics narrow and backtracked slightly. "Well…maybe. But I left the side door open. It jumped out as soon as he got in."

"You do realize it could have seriously injured him?" Riella cycled her vents, calming down.

"I wouldn't let it do that!" Sideswipe protested. "Besides, he _so _had it coming."

Sunstreaker nodded. "Seconded. I doubt he'll give you too much trouble in future."

Ah. Riella grimaced. "What did he say to you?" Knowing Simmons, it hadn't been complimentary.

"Nothing _to _us," Sideswipe responded with a glance at his twin. "Heard him muttering. I know Earth insults when I hear 'em. He should probably be nicer about Autobot commanders when some of their family members are around."

Shaking her head, Riella sighed again and turned back toward the hanger. "Okay. Listen. I'll let that slide – _this once. _But if you do something that puts a human at risk like that again, you're going to be having a chat with Optimus. Clear?"

"Yes, Riella," both twins chorused. She knew it would probably happen again, of course. She had too much contact with Simmons for him to avoid insulting her permanently. And if he did it around the twins, they _would _find a way to retaliate.

That was oddly heartwarming.


	8. Chapter 8: Swampmallows

**Biggest edit here is the removal of Optimus from the camping trip. I hated to do it, but it wasn't in character. There will be some new scenes with him later to make up for it. **

**Chapter 8: Swampmallows**

"You want to do what?" Prowl studied the human girl standing in front of him, sure that his audio sensors were malfunctioning.

Mikaela smiled, too innocently. "Go camping this weekend? With a few of the Autobots? You know, for safety. The Witwickys and Bee are going anyway, but shouldn't some of you guys come too? I think it'd be fun."

"Fun. Really." Prowl sighed, rolled his optics, and wondered why in Primus' name _he _was the one who always had to deal with these requests. "If the decision was mine, the answer would be 'absolutely not'. Unfortunately, Jazz is back on duty, which all but guarantees that I will be forced to accompany you."

Mikaela blinked. "So…yes or no?"

"Ask Jazz," Prowl growled, turning back to his datapad. "I have to put together a backup plan for the inevitable catastrophe."

"You agreed to what?" Riella stared at Jazz in disbelief, as did Optimus, Ratchet, Ironhide, and Chromia. Prowl simply rested his forehead in one hand with a groan. "_Camping? _Jazz, are you insane? We've only just signed the treaty with the humans. We have soldiers arriving in less than a week. There are patrols to keep up with –"

"C'mon, Ri, it's two nights." Jazz shrugged. "An' we're not all goin'! I figure you, me, Prowl, and the twins. Arcee or Moonracer too, if they want. The others can handle th' base. We've already got humans settin' up scanners – we can cut our patrols in half by tomorrow. You lot earned a break."

Optimus nodded slowly. "He does have a point, Riella. I don't see any harm in it."

Prowl looked up at the Autobot leader in disbelief. "You _cannot _be serious."

Thirty-four hours later, on the road to the distant lake where the Witwickys had planned to camp, Prowl was still grumbling to Riella over the bond. _Nature? Yes. Fine. Fascinating. Monitoring Jazz, the twins, and four humans? The polar opposite. This is a disaster waiting to happen._

_Settle down, Prowl, _Riella sighed, patting the side of his vehicle mode. _Only three days. We'll be fine._

_Well, at least no one has asked what could go wrong yet. Other than that, I can't see any sign of common sense among our fellow 'campers'._

Jazz's excited voice over the comm system interrupted their discussion. ::So, any of ya gonna go swimmin'?::

_I rest my case._

_I wasn't arguing the point._ Riella sighed and glanced over at the Solstice. ::Since when do you swim, Jazz?::

::Since Sam told me 'bout it. Sounds like fun.:: One wheel tipped up in a faint hint of a shrug.

::I suppose, if you think so,:: Riella said dryly. ::I for one will stay out of the water.::

::Really?:: Arcee, the only one of her sisters to come with them, joined the conversation. ::Wouldn't you have learned swimming as an organic?.::

::Not all sentient organics have the same abilities.:: Riella shook her head. ::Vulcan is considered a desert planet, with very few surface bodies of water. I am capable of swimming, but not particularly well, and I don't enjoy it. Complicated and unnecessary, in my opinion.::

::That's what she said:: Sideswipe snickered.

::Where did you hear that, Sideswipe?:: Prowl would have been sighing, in robot mode. ::Not only is it inappropriate, you used it incorrectly.::

Sunstreaker answered. ::TV, of course! It's great. And I thought that was how you used it.::

Prowl's engine rumbled. ::Who let them watch television?::

::That'd be the humans,.:: Jazz chuckled. ::Ya gotta admit, some of it's pretty good.::

::'Some' being the operative word,:: Riella grimaced. ::I take it we'll be dealing with this kind of thing for a while?::

::Probably:: Prowl's engine hummed a bit louder. ::It could be worse, I guess.::

Both twins responded simultaneously. ::That's what she said!::

To Riella and Prowl's collective relief, the lake wasn't much further. The campsite turned out to be conveniently out-of-the-way, almost half a mile from any other humans; the Autobots could transform without worrying about discovery.

_This isn't bad,_ Prowl commented, watching the humans setting out tents and supplies. _Quiet. _

_Not for long_, Riella responded worriedly, noticing Sideswipe taking off toward the lake. Before she could intervene, the silver twin was grabbed by Sunstreaker and hauled back. "Are you crazy?"

"Hey!' Sideswipe shoved his brother away with a glare. "What are you doing?"

Sunstreaker whacked him across the side of the head. "You're not going in there! You have no idea what could happen!"

Riella sighed as Sideswipe retaliated with a blow to the jaw, prompting a surprisingly feminine screech. "Watch the paint!" the yellow twin snapped. Sideswipe snapped right back. "Since when are you scared, _Sunshine?_"

"Don't call me that!" Sunstreaker tackled his twin, and the two rolled over, the physical violence escalating as they continued insulting each other in both English and Cybertronian. Sam jumped out of the way, yelping.

"Someone, do something!"

Prowl rolled his optics, glanced at Riella, then stepped forward and grabbed both of the twins, one in each hand despite being smaller. Before they could protest, he took two steps toward the lake and tossed them into the water. They disappeared under the surface of the lake; Prowl had thrown them quite a ways out. They stayed under for a second, then Sideswipe surfaced, dragging his brother with him and yelling. "What was _that_ for?"

"That was for being a public nuisance," Prowl yelled back. "Now get over here, and behave."

Shaking her head, Riella turned to Sam, pretending not to notice the twins muttering Cybertronian curses. "So, Sam. Would you show us around, please?"

"Sure." Sam turned and gestured toward the place where his parents and Mikaela were already unpacking three tents. "That's the campsite, where we'll be staying, and you guys...can just park anywhere, I guess."

"There's room in the tents for Riella, if she wants," Judy Witwicky called. "She can share with Mikaela."

"Thank you, but I can sleep outside," Riella assured the woman. She hadn't spent a night apart from Prowl in years, and honestly wasn't sure how she would handle it.

"There's not much else to see, except the lake." Sam looked around. "Oh, yeah, watch out for poison ivy, though I don't know if you guys can get that stuff."

"Poison ivy?" Prowl tilted his head and his optics dimmed, indicating that he was searching the Internet. "Riella, are you familiar with the plant?"

"Yes, but it should not affect me. I believe the allergy is human-specific, and my Cybertronian genes have usually protected me from organic allergens in general." She tossed her long hair back behind her shoulders, and walked over to help Mikaela with her tent. _Also, I am intelligent enough to avoid anything with 'poison' in the name._

_You had better hope you're right, _Prowl commented pointedly over the bond. _You _will _be miserable otherwise._

Two hours later, the duo sat together with Bumblebee by the lake, watching Jazz, Sideswipe, Arcee, and the humans splash in the water. Sunstreaker was off to the side, still pouting about the scratch his brother had "accidentally" put in his paint, and Bumblebee agreed that Autobots swimming was simply a bad idea. The other three, however, clearly had no such thoughts, enjoying the water thoroughly.

Prowl sighed and rubbed his forehead chevron. _I calculate a seventy-nine percent chance they're going to regret swimming tomorrow._

_Try to relax._ Riella picked one of the leaves off a nearby plant and threw it at him. _There's no need for your battle computer at the moment._

_You know it's hardwired into my CPU. I can't turn it off without passing out. _He threw the leaf back.

Riella caught it and stifled a yawn. _I meant stop calculating, which you know perfectly well. Try to enjoy this._

There was a loud yell, and a tremendous splash as Jazz hurled Sideswipe toward shore. A wave shot up, drenching everyone within fifty feet. Luckily, the tents were a bit further away.

"Enjoy what, exactly?" Prowl raised an optic ridge, wiping water off his faceplate. Riella sighed and pushed wet hair out of her eyes.

_I take it back._

After a few hours, which in Prowl and Riella's opinion was entirely too long, swimming finally seemed to lose its appeal, at least for the humans. Sam's father started a campfire (over Bumblebee's mute objections about fire hazards), while Judy got out supplies for 's'mores' (over Prowl's vocal objections about healthy eating habits).

"What's that?" Sideswipe, who apparently hadn't done much research regarding Earth customs, poked curiously at one of the bags.

Mikaela laughed. "Those are marshmallows. You roast them."

"Why?" Sunstreaker picked one up carefully, examining it the way he would have handled a bomb.

"Because they taste good," Mikaela said with a laugh, pulling hers off the metal stick and taking a bite out of it.

"Okay..." Sideswipe carefully put a marshmallow on a stick, then held it over the fire for a minute. Sam and Mikaela watched, giving him advice on when to turn it occasionally.

"Alright, is it done?" Sunstreaker looked over his brother's shoulder.

"Yeah, I think so." Sideswipe pulled it off the stick. "Now, I just eat it?"

Riella, who had been curled up against Prowl's side sleepily, suddenly realized what he was about to do. "Wait! Sideswipe!"

"What?" Sideswipe looked at his femme creator in alarm. "What'd I do this time?"

"Don't you _dare_ put that in your mouth!" Riella sat bolt upright, pushing away from Prowl. "Do you have any idea what it will do to your internals?"

"Relax, Riella," Sam said, wide-eyed with nervousness at her tone. "I know, it's not healthy, but we're camping! It won't kill him."

"Technically, no, but Ratchet might when he has to try and get that out of his fuel intake." Riella shook her head. "Trust me on this. Marshmallows and metal do not mix. Just try letting go of it, and you'll see why."

"Okay, sure." Sunstreaker reached out and took the marshmallow out of his twin's hand. Or at least, he tried to. It pulled apart, leaving marshmallow goo stuck to both mechs' hands. "Gaah!" The yellow twin jerked away, but the marshmallow stayed attached to his hand, stretching further than Riella would have thought possible. Sideswipe tried to wipe it off, but only succeeded in getting it on both of his hands.

"What _is_ this stuff?"

"That, Sideswipe, is crystallized sugar and corn starch," Prowl announced, having evidently looked up 'marshmallow' on Google. "And by the looks of it, it will not come off any time soon."

"Eww! I am _never_ touching a swampmallow again!" Sunstreaker shook his hand frantically, trying to get the sticky stuff off.

Mikaela giggled. "That's _marsh_mallow. And I suggest you two head down to the lake and start washing it off. You'll be working on it for a while. Just be glad you don't have hair."

Sunstreaker gave her one horrified look, then ran for the lake, Sideswipe right behind him. A loud splash, followed by several colorful Cybertronian and Earth curse words, indicated they hadn't quite calculated the distance to the water correctly.

Riella sighed and returned to her place curled up against Prowl's side. _Remind me to put a magnet in Jazz's berth when we return to base. This is getting ridiculous. _


	9. Chapter 9: OhSoTypical

**Short little chapter with not much changed. Mostly Prowl and Riella, but a few others were edited slightly as well.**

**Chapter 9: Oh-So-Typical**

Riella was jolted abruptly out of a comfortable doze by the sound of yelling. "EWWW! What is this?!" She blinked, noting the slight chill in the air and the gray sky. The sun hadn't risen yet. Sighing, Riella curled a bit closer to Prowl.

Another yell pulled her attention back to the situation at hand. Sighing, the technorganic yawned and rubbed at her optics, nudging her sparkmate's chestplate lightly and pushing his arm off her. "Wake up, Prowl. Sunny's ticked. Doesn't sound serious, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"Mmph." Prowl wrapped his arm back around her without opening his optics, still mostly in recharge. _Don' go.' S cold out here._

"Prowl." Riella rolled her optics and tapped on his chest a little bit harder. "Wake. Up."

Prowl groaned and opened one optic. "Yes?"

"Sunstreaker's upset about something," Riella sighed. "I don't know what."

Prowl curled around her again and closed his optics. '_S too early. _

_No, it's not, _Riella sighed. _Get up, Prowl._

Sam's head poked out of the nearest tent, hair a mess and eyes wide, as Jazz, who was on watch, turned to see what was going on. "What's all the racket?"

"I have no idea what this is, but GET IT OFF ME!" Riella looked over to see Sunstreaker practically dancing in place, covered in...wet weeds?

With a sigh, the femme pushed Prowl's arm away again, ignoring his continued half-in-recharge protests, and stood up, stretching. "Sunstreaker, calm down. What happened?"

"I don't KNOW!" The yellow twin flailed his arms, accidentally sending muddy water everywhere. Riella ducked. Jazz wasn't so lucky, and got a faceful of wet, muddy weeds.

"Dude! What the frag?"

Prowl sat up with a groan, brushing a weed off his shoulder. "Riella, you could have just _told _me to wake up. The water was unnecessary."

"I did tell you, and that wasn't me." Riella transformed and reached out to help Sunstreaker get the remaining weeds off his shoulders and back. An amused-looking Bumblebee beeped loudly and commented over the internal comm link. ::Arcee and Sideswipe'll be sad they missed this…::

"Good point, Bee. Where are they?" Riella glanced at Jazz. "Have you seen them?"

"Nah, not since they woke up 'bout an hour ago." The Solstice shrugged slightly. "I was watchin' the perimeter, not the camp."

Sam crawled all the way out of his tent, brushing dirt off his shorts. "Where would they -" A horrified look crossed his face, and he looked at Riella and Prowl for some reason. "Oh no. No way. They're not...are they..."

"Sam, don't be such a pervert," Mikaela called from inside her tent. "These are robots we're talking about. They probably just went off to explore."

"Explore _what_, though?" Sam made a disgusted face. "I _so_ didn't need to think about that!" Riella sighed as she got what he was saying.

"Sideswipe and Arcee aren't a couple, Sam," Prowl informed the boy with a sigh and an optic roll. "Not yet, at any rate. Partners in crime, though? Apparently."

"Hmm." Riella tried to brush some of the mud off Sunstreaker's back and only succeeded in getting it everywhere. "Sorry, Suns, but you're probably going to have to go in the lake to get that off. Prowl?" _I think we know what happened._

"Agreed. It's rather obvious." Prowl looked at a few tire imprints leading out of the campsite. "They'll be lucky to survive, once Sunstreaker figures it out."

"Figure out _what?_" Sunstreaker gave up on the mud and followed Riella and Prowl's gaze. He blinked for a moment, probably checking on the state of his bond with his twin, then yelled at the top of his vocalizer, causing everyone to wince.

"SIDESWIPE! I'M GONNA _OFFLINE_ YOU!"

"Quiet," Prowl scolded. "Do you want humans to show up?"

The sound of a tent unzipping reached Riella's audios, and she ducked just in time as a small alarm clock shot over her head, followed by Judy Witwicky's angry yell. "What the HELL is with the noise?"

Riella rubbed at one pointed audio fin at the piercing tone. "Just the usual. Sideswipe pulled a prank," she called back. "Nothing too interesting."

"Then shut up! There are people trying to sleep!"

Riella sighed and tested her comm link. There was no response from either missing Autobot. "I should find Sideswipe and Arcee. They know better than to wander off in a strange area and not answer their comlinks. Prowl, can you help Sunstreaker, please?"

Her sparkmate made a 'why me' face, but nodded. "Copy. Keep your comlink on." _And be careful. I have a bad feeling._

_Noted. _Riella mock-saluted before transforming back to organic mode and starting off into the trees. It wasn't hard at all to tell which way the two pranksters had gone; their tire tracks were still visible in the soft ground.

"Sideswipe! Arcee!" she called, modulating her vocalizer for maximum range. "I need you back at camp, now!"

Nothing.

"Sideswipe! I'll make that an order if I have to!"

It was still quiet. Much too quiet.

_Crunch._ The sound of a twig snapping sent Riella into instant defense mode, spinning around and transforming with her blades snapping into place.

"Whoa!" Arcee held up her hands, balancing easily on her single wheel. "Easy, Riella. Just me."

Riella deactivated her weapons with a grimace. "Don't do that. You could get hurt." It was rare for anyone to sneak up on her at all, partly because she usually heard them coming and partly because she had broken Mirage's arm by accident once when he succeeded in catching her by surprise. "Where's Sideswipe?"

"Right here." Sideswipe stepped into view, ducking under a low-hanging branch. "I assume Suns woke up."

"Yes." Riella tried to look stern, but the branch caught behind Sideswipe's right audio fin was making it difficult. "And now that both you and your brother have run the risk of getting us caught by humans, you can come back to camp and help him clean up."

Sideswipe winced. "Do I have to? He's gonna try and kill me or something, I just know it."

"Maybe you should have thought about that earlier, hmm?" Riella turned away, hiding a smile. _Prowl? Sunstreaker's gotten over the urge to murder his brother by now, right? _When she got an affirmative answer, she gestured to Sideswipe and Arcee. "Let's go."

Back at the campsite, to Riella's relief, Sunstreaker had stopped yelling, but the expression on his face made Sideswipe duck behind the two femmes with a sheepish grin. Arcee rolled her optics. "My hero."


	10. Chapter 10: Emergency Measures

**Another chapter that drastically needed a rewrite. Riella versus the Stunticons was kind of painful to go back and read – it needed help. So the fight scene has been significantly edited, as has the follow-up.**

**Chapter 10: Emergency Measures**

Riella paced the edge of the campsite, every sensor attuned for Decepticon activity. Watch duty wasn't what anyone in the army aspired to, but it was part of the job that she had done for thousands of years. Some things didn't change, no matter what planet you were on.

Her comlink beeped, signaling an incoming message. She pressed a finger to it, slowing her pace as she answered. ::Riella here.::

::Riella, this is Chromia. I'm about ten standard Earth miles south of your position, and I just got a visual on a Decepticon. Small vehicle, ground-based, the make's coming up on the scanners as a 2008 Mazda Miata.::

Riella was already transforming, first into her bipedal robot form and then into her vehicle mode. ::Copy. I'll back you up. Specs match the ones we had for Reflector, the tri-bot former. Riella to Jazz, do you read?:: She was speeding down the road before finishing the sentence.

Jazz's voice crackled in her comm unit. ::Copy, Ri-girl. Whassup?::

::Chromia has a visual on a Decepticon, possibly Reflector. Coordinates incoming. I'm going to provide back-up.:: Riella skidded around a corner, dirt flying. ::With Decepticons in the area, I suggest preparing for evacuation.::

::Copy that. I'll send Prowl an' the twins after ya. Where there's Reflector, there's bound t'be others.:: She could hear Jazz shouting at someone, without turning the comm off, and reached out to her bondmate.

_Prowl, follow my signal. I'm already on my way. _Riella's wheels slipped a bit in a patch of mud, and she slowed down a bit to get through it, grumbling mentally about the delay – Cybertron hadn't had dirt roads, one of the (many) things she missed. By swerving offroad, she finally reached the highway and was able to speed up, engine revving as she raced toward Chromia's location. The warning popping up in her HUD indicated that she was breaking just about every speed law in the area, but as far as she was concerned that was acceptable. Dealing with the Decepticon was priority.

A signal beeped insistently, and the femme turned harder than her vehicle mode was meant to, wheels leaving black marks on the pavement as she spun completely around and slid off the road just in time. An explosion ripped into the ground, sending concrete and dirt chunks flying. Swearing internally, Riella swerved and hit the accelerator, trying to evade the debris, but one large piece scraped across her chassis and rammed into her front wheel, leaving a deep scrape and throwing her off balance. She transformed fast and rolled, coming up on one knee and looking back toward her attacker.

"Pit!" she cursed, activating her comlink. ::Riella to Jazz, I have a visual on a potential combiner, repeat, visual on potential combiner team member. Requesting backup and suggesting prompt evacuation of all noncombatants.::

Her comlink crackled ominously as she kept one optic on the Decepticon in front of her, checking for identifying marks. "Jazz, this is Riella, do you copy? Jazz, come in!:: _Prowl! Where are you?_

_Not far – we'll be there in ten. _

The Decepticon – Breakdown? Dead End? She couldn't tell – advanced on her, snarling in Kaon-dialect Cybertronian. _**"When I'm done with you, you'll belong in a slagheap!"**_ Ah. Drag Strip. Lovely.

"_**Don't be too sure of that,"**_ Riella responded calmly in the same language, assuming he probably hadn't bothered to learn any Earth languages. _**"I have no plans to die today. You do not have to, either. Walk away, and I will not kill you."**_

"_**Bring it on, Autobot!" **_Drag Strip thundered toward her, huge sword swinging over his head. The Autobot waited until he was within striking range before diving clear. A quick roll let her come up on her feet, and she spun into a graceful high-kick, catching him off-balance and sending him stumbling several yards away. Metallikato was so useful for dealing with heavy opponents.

With a furious roar, Drag Strip lunged back to his feet. _**"You're dead, Autobot scum!"**_

"_**Not so far as I can tell,"**_ Riella taunted, ducking his rather clumsy attack easily and spinning to open a shallow gash across his chest armor.

With another roar, the Stunticon whipped his blade in a rapid circle and swept it down toward her knees, no doubt intending to disable her and remove her speed advantage. Riella saw it coming, flipped backward over the blade, and kicked him in the jaw. Drag Strip stumbled backward and looked up at her, spitting energon…and smirked.

Realizing an instant too late what was going on, Riella dived to the left, tucking her head and rolling. It still wasn't fast enough to avoid the shot from behind her, which caught her in the side and sent her tumbling. Wincing at the sudden burn, Riella slammed her elbow down into the dirt and stopped her skid, flipping herself over and coming up on one knee to face the new arrival. _Scrap. _Motormaster, the biggest and most dangerous of the Stunticons. _Prowl!_

_Coming!_

Motormaster and Drag Strip lunged for her simultaneously. Riella sidestepped a shot from the larger Decepticon and jumped back to block Drag Strip's blow with one blade. She deflected it down into the ground, but it still sent a tingling shock up her arm. A sideways punch from Motormaster almost raked the side of her head, forcing her even further back. It must have rained recently – the soft ground was throwing off her balance, making it hard to judge her next step correctly. Another attack, this time from Drag Strip, and Riella was forced to spin both blades up in a rapid deflection pattern. The move left her side unguarded for barely a second. Unfortunately, that second was too long.

The barrel of Motormaster's cannon slammed into the space between her upper chassis armor and hip plating, throwing her nearly twenty feet. Riella felt something snap, both on the side where the cannon connected and the side where she hit the ground hard. She scrambled to get her feet back under her, but before she could get her balance, Motormaster's foot cracked into her head and sent her sprawling again.

Half-dazed, Riella rolled and twisted, striking at his ankle with one blade. Energon splattered her wrist as the blade cut through several cables. Above her, Motormaster snarled in pain and kicked her savagely in the chassis again, then fired straight down. Pain shot from Riella's leg all the way to her spark, and she gasped and tried to twist away. Motormaster slammed the cannon down against her again, this time hitting her arm as she rolled. When the blow sent her tumbling forward, facedown, he slammed one heavy foot down against her back.

Something shattered inside Riella's spine, and agony blazed out from the center of her back through the rest of her frame. She thought she might have screamed, but wasn't sure.

A rough foot kicked her over onto her back, doubling the pain in her spine. Motormaster's gun powered above her head, and Riella somehow found the ability to jerk her head to the left. The blast burned her cheek, sending light flashing painfully through her optics. One of them sparked, and the world went dark around her. Flash blindness.

_No! Prowl…where…_

Gunfire exploded above and around her, familiar sounds…none of the fire was directed at her…and then the bond pulsed with concern and love. _Riella! _

She closed her optics, head thudding lightly against the ground as she went limp. She could taste energon in her mouth, and her body wasn't responding to her efforts to move. The aware part of her mind noted that she was probably going into stasis, and that shock had kicked in.

_Riella! Riella, I'm here. _A footstep caught her attention, bringing her back to relative awareness. Even though she knew who it was, instinct kicked in, and she tried to edge away from the sound. It was a mistake. The pain, which had started to fade as she went into stasis, returned with a vengeance, and she couldn't stifle a low moan. Almost immediately, Prowl's arms wrapped around her shoulders and side, carefully trying to lift her. She cried out, voice catching and rasping in her throat. Blurry warnings popped up in her HUD about her fuel tanks. Prowl noticed, lowering her to the ground, and a gentle hand turned her head to the side, so that her intakes didn't jam as she purged her tanks violently. Riella gasped, shoulders shaking in pain.

_It's all right. Shh. I'm here._ A hand rubbed along her back soothingly. _Lie still. I've got you. Just breathe._

She reached out desperately, her hand flailing for something, anything. Her fingertips brushed against metal, and then traced upward, feeling the familiar contours of narrow features and a triangular visor. _Prowl…?_

_It's me, little star. _Prowl adjusted his hold on her, supporting her head against his knee and stroking her cheek and neck with his free hand. _Ratchet's on his way. What's damaged, besides the obvious? Do you know?_

Riella fought for some kind of focus. _Back's broken. Optics offline. Something in my chest. Snapped. And the leg. Think it's gone._

_It's not gone. In bad shape, but still attached._ Prowl slid his hand carefully under her neck, pulling her closer. _Don't be afraid. _He brushed gently at her cheek, and Riella realized she was crying. Prowl curled around her, spark pulsing lightly against her cheek. _It's okay. You're not bleeding out. Your spark is alright. Just wait for Ratchet._

Riella buried her face in his chest, trembling and trying to stay alert. _Ratchet…will not be happy._

_No, but he'll know it wasn't your fault. _ Prowl tilted his head and rested his cheek against the top of her head. _Rest, love. I'll be here when you wake up._

She let herself relax, stasis taking over again. The bond was her one concrete link back to reality, and even that began to fade out as she gradually lost consciousness.

"Riella? Riella, answer me. Can you hear me?"

_Ratchet. _She groaned and tried to speak. It came out as a raspy "mmhm."

"That's a yes. I'm going to give you a sedative before I move you." Ratchet's hand brushed against her chin, tilting her head up. "Hang in there, kid. We'll fix you up, okay?"

A moment later she felt the pressure of an injection into her neck, and the pain disappeared as her CPU finally shut down.


	11. Chapter 11: Front Line

**This one didn't change much, other than Prowl's reaction, since this is where Riella's character started to adjust into what it is now. Also, there was a title change, because the original was silly.**

**Chapter 11: Front Line**

Riella flipped gracefully back onto her feet, explosions shattering the ground around her. A Decepticon drone loomed over her, firing indiscriminately. Mentally thanking Primus for the drones' poor aim, the femme shot a quick laser bolt into its CPU, deactivating it, before spinning and driving her right wrist-blade into the neural cable of another.

A young mech sprinted toward her, dark blue and white paint practically invisible under the layer of dust, smoke, and energon. _Long way from the Towers,_ Riella reflected grimly. _Long way from anywhere civilized, come to think of it. _

"Riella! You alright?" he yelled over the clattering of metal and explosions.

Riella slammed one blade back over her shoulder, catching the drone behind her in the chestplate and knocking it backward. A quick, powerful blow to the head finished the job. "In one piece, Mirage. Status?"

The young mech shook his head. "It's bad. We lost Thunderblast right off, and Flareup and Airazor are both down with bad injuries. First Aid said to tell you we need a triage area stat. Oh, and comms are still down."

"Copy." Riella spun and blocked another swipe from a drone, pushing its arm up and allowing Mirage to shoot it down easily. "Use your cloaking generator, try to get to the top of the pass. Bluestreak should already be in sniper position near there. Signal the 'bots at Tyger Pax that we're on our way – use cyber-optic code if you have to. If you see the Twins, tell them to report to my location immediately; I'll help Aid get the injured clear of the field and set up a temporary triage space."

"Got it." Mirage knocked another drone out of his way. "Should I call for backup?"

Riella rolled her optics. Sometimes scouts reassigned to a combat unit could be annoyingly naïve. "Mirage, we _are_ the backup. Now go!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Mirage bolted, disappearing about three steps away. Riella watched her latest student's trajectory for a moment. _Primus look out for you, Mirage. You'll need it._ With that final thought, she whirled and flung herself back into the melee, angling in the direction of First Aid's signal.

The medic was, at the moment, trying to tend to Flareup and defend her at the same time. Riella body-slammed the nearest drone, sending it flying, and fired rapidly into the others. They took the hint and backed off a few steps – they were programmed with basic self-defense routines, after all – and Riella took advantage of the breathing space to snap, "Aid, are you alright?"

"'M fine," First Aid replied distractedly. "Flareup won't be if I don't patch this energon line!"

"Do what you need to. I'll cover your back." Riella smashed one fist into the face of a drone that got too close, spun, and decapitated another in one strike. "Did you get to Airazor yet?"

"Yeah, Icelight's still with her, out of the battle zone. Over on the left flank."

"So we can't count on them for backup." The femme dodged a laser blast – okay, keep an eye on that drone, it was a better shot than most – and glanced over her shoulder quickly. "Anyone seen the Twins?"

"Riella?" A familiar voice shouted her name from somewhere to her left. A moment later, the drone blocking Riella's view exploded, sliced through from two directions, and Sideswipe and Sunstreaker bolted through the gap, spinning and taking a few steps in opposite directions to cover Riella's back.

"Raj said you needed backup?" the golden warrior asked, casually slicing the head off yet another drone and firing quick, precise shots into the army surrounding them. His brother spun and lashed out to the left and right, bisecting two drones simultaneously.

Riella scanned the area quickly, checking to see who she had. "Affirmative. Sideswipe, help First Aid move Flareup. Those two will pull back with Icelight and Airazor and set up triage out of the battle zone, while the rest of us meet up with Mirage and Bluestreak up on the ridge. We're running out of time – Optimus's team is counting on us to break the standoff. We lose Tyger Pax, we lose this entire sector. Copy?" At the chorus of affirmatives, she continued. "Sunstreaker, cover the rear. I'll take point. Do not get separated from the group, and try not to die. Roll out!"

* * *

><p>Prowl paced impatiently outside of the medbay, traces of wear starting to appear in the concrete. "Will someone <em>please <em>tell me something? Anything!" _Riella? Riella… _He couldn't sense anything other than that she was still unconscious. No pain, so not dying, but…

"Easy, kid," Ironhide growled. "Ratchet's got her well looked after. And she's a tough femme, I'm sure she'll be up and around in a couple of days."

"That's fine for _you_ to say," Prowl snapped. "Chromia survived her fight with Reflector with no injuries. _You_ aren't waiting to hear what her condition is!"

"Yeah, but I have before!" the weapons specialist retorted. "So don't act like you're the only mech ever to worry about your femme! Primus, kid, all of us know what you're going through, okay?"

Prowl was about to snap back at him when the door opened and Ratchet stepped out. "Prowl? Get your aft in here."

The tactician practically knocked over the medic in his rush for the berth. Riella's slender frame lay perfectly still under the sheet, but her lips were set tightly, and every now and then her optics would flash as though she was trying to communicate. Her sparkmate reached down to touch her cheek gently, studying her face for a long moment before turning on Ratchet. "Is she alright?"

"I've repaired what I can," the senior medic reported calmly, unfazed by Prowl's glare. "She'll be sedated until her self-repairs start to integrate the patches. I don't know how long that will take. She's not in pain, if that's what you're wondering. From her expressions, I suspect she's dreaming."

"Is that bad?" Prowl gently stroked one of Riella's hands.

Ratchet shrugged. "Only if she starts reacting to them physically, which Riella isn't in the habit of doing, to my knowledge." When Prowl looked back down at Riella, the medic reached out to rest a hand on the younger mech's shoulder. "She'll be okay, Prowl. Stay with her for a while. Might help keep her calm."


	12. Chapter 12: Tyger Pax

**Like before, not too much change here. Unfortunately, we lost about half of the Optimus interaction in this chapter, but it made more sense for it to be Ratchet. **

**Chapter 12: Tyger Pax**

Prowl studied the femme resting on the berth beside him, caressing his sparkmate's palm absentmindedly. _Riella…you have to come back. You have to, alright? I can't do this alone…I need you. We all need you._

Riella didn't move or respond, but her optics flickered brilliantly for a second before shutting down again. Prowl sighed and stroked her cheek.

_Whatever you're dreaming…I hope it's better than the alternative._

* * *

><p>Riella spun on her heel, driving a hard kick into the Decepticon's lower torso before slicing deep into his neck cables with one blade. "Delta Team, stay tight. We're going all the way in. I need you close."<p>

"You're kidding, right?" Sunstreaker's usually spotless paint was so scraped and stained that Riella had to double-check to make sure it was the gold twin. "_All_ the way?"

The femme shook the dying drone off of her blade and whirled to stab the other through the spark chamber of another drone that had attempted an attack from behind. "Well,_ I _will be going in, anyway. _You _will cover my back and reinforce the remaining Autobots here. I need to reach Optimus and Prowl."

"Oh-kay…" Sideswipe glanced around even as he bashed a drone's helm in roughly. "You do realize you're walking into Ground Zero?"

"That's the idea." Riella stepped away from the dead enemies and looked him straight in the optic. "And I do not plan on walking. Mirage, you're in charge. Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, follow orders – no matter what. Keep each other and Bluestreak safe." She glanced at her youngest, bleeding from a small forehead cut and sending a Decepticon flying with a solid punch.

"Copy," both twins responded simultaneously, taking a second to nod at her before returning to the fight. Riella allowed herself a grim smile before turning toward her chosen battleground.

It was utter chaos.

_Good._

For less than a nanoklik, Riella shuttered her optics. She was back in that combat training room on Vulcan, cool darkness surrounding her as her master spoke.

_Use the chaos to your advantage. You fight with the crowd, not through them._

Her optics snapped open and time slowed around her as she sprinted forward, diving into the nearest knot of Decepticons. Everything was crystal clear; she could see the path she would take as if it was marked with streetlights.

One drone down, gun shooting another one's spark chamber as he falls.

Another dropping from a vicious kick to the neck cables.

Pain from a slash in her armor.

Energon dripping down her blade from the attacking drone.

Mirage calling, voice echoing.

"Wait!" _Wait, wait, wait!_

Ignoring him. No time.

Prowl – there. Bond open, glad to see her. Not hurt. Not yet. _I'm on my way, love. Stay alive._

Optimus – there. She can see red and blue and flashing blades. Not far now.

The jet engines of the Seekers screaming above.

The dull _clunk_ of a grenade.

Crashing, shuddering explosions shaking the ground.

Still running, diving, rolling. Not stopping for a second. She's out of time. It's do or die.

Blades slicing through armor and cabling alike.

Drones falling around her.

No more Autobots die today. Not on Riella's watch.

She is no longer using the chaos.

She _is_ the chaos.

* * *

><p>"You should get some rest."<p>

Prowl glanced up at Ratchet, caught off guard by the medic's appearance and sympathetic tone. "I'm alright."

"Like slag you are," Ratchet snorted. "You're practically falling asleep right there. You need recharge, kid."

Prowl was shaking his head before the sentence was finished. "I don't want to leave her alone." He traced the outline of Riella's fingers carefully. "If she wakes up? Alone? No."

"She won't be alone," the medic huffed. "What do you think I am, sparkless? I'll sit with her. You'll recharge on the other berth back there." He pointed firmly. When Prowl opened his mouth to protest, Ratchet snapped, "Now, Prowl. Go."

Recognizing an order when he saw one, Prowl accepted the medic's hand up and made his way back to the berth on the other side of the medbay.

* * *

><p>Riella skidded to a halt at Optimus's side. "Delta Team commander reporting, sir! Perimeter is secured – " she broke off to stab a drone that came too close "- and our medic is setting up triage as we speak."<p>

"Good work." Optimus's gun blasted several Decepticons into oblivion. "Any visual on Megatron?"

"Negative." Riella kicked out backward, knocking another Decepticon away from Prowl, and glanced at her mate briefly. _Glad you're in one piece. _"I thought you would have one."

Optimus's next shot removed the head of the drone behind Riella. "Negative. I sent a scout with instructions to report to you."

Prowl and Riella's optics met as they both realized who had been sent, and the only reason he wouldn't have reported. Riella swore. "Frag it!"

An explosion rocked the ground under their feet, causing Optimus to stumble slightly and sending drones around them sprawling. A roar echoed across the battlefield.

"Decepticons, mobilize!"

The femme's optics locked onto Megatron, automatically looking for any sign of injuries that might produce a weakness, but then she saw the Autobot he was holding by the throat…servo slowly crushing the metal…

"_Bumblebee!"_

Riella's optics snapped open, revealing nothing but gray shadows. Spark pulsing frantically, she reset them again and again. "Bumblebee!"

"Hush, Riella. Lie still."

"Ratchet?" she rasped, grabbing frantically at the hand that pinned her to the berth. "Bumblebee…"

"Bumblebee is fine." Ratchet released the pressure on her shoulder as soon as she stopped struggling. "You, however, are _not_. Do you remember what happened?"

Still fighting to calm her ventilations, Riella managed to rasp, "Tyger Pax…Delta Team…"

"You were dreaming, love." Prowl's voice comforted her in a way no one else could, as did the touch over the bond. _You're safe. Bumblebee is safe._ "Tyger Pax was years ago. We're on Earth."

_Earth…right. The Stunticons! _Her optics fluttered erratically, revealing nothing of her surroundings. "Is everyone alright?" _Slag, I can't believe…how could I lose to that…_

"Yes, they're fine." Ratchet brushed a surprisingly gentle hand over her forehead. "No elevated temperature. You should be alright for the night. I'll leave Prowl to take care of you. Yell if you need anything."

"Thank you, Ratchet," Prowl called as the medic left. Gently, the tactician stroked his sparkmate's hand. _Riella, what's wrong?_

_I should have…_Riella shook her head and winced. _I lost to a Stunticon, Prowl. Do you have any idea how long it's been since…_

_Don't. Don't do that to yourself._ Prowl continued stroking the back of her hand soothingly. _That was a fight you weren't going to win. You should rest. We'll talk about it when you're better, all right?_


	13. Chapter 13: Lost My Touch

**Reasoning behind this story arc stayed the same even though Riella's ability has been increased in most of the other stories. Most of the changes here are just to line up with earlier ones. **

**Chapter 13: Lost My Touch**

Prowl watched his bondmate with concern. Riella had been cleared to leave the medbay for the first time since the battle a week ago, and since then she had done very little except sit in their room and stare out the window. She had made an effort to transform down to organic mode, but it had taken her nearly five minutes and clearly caused pain.

"Riella, are you alright?"

"My condition is perfectly acceptable."

Prowl's worry intensified. Riella was rarely that precise in casual conversations – even her reports hadn't sounded like that in years. She sounded…Vulcan. "Riella." He slid down from his perch on one of the ceiling beams – their room wasn't completely finished yet – and settled down on the berth beside her, tracing her shoulder lightly. He could sense that _something_ was bothering her, he just had to find out what. _What's wrong? Are you all right?_

Riella shook her head, blue optics glowing slightly in the dim room. _Yes. It is nothing._

_You know you can't lie to me._ Prowl tipped her chin up so that she had to meet his optics. _Is there an injury you didn't mention to Ratchet? Or are you frustrated by inactivity?_

_Neither._ She sighed and flicked one finger irritably. Prowl noticed, with some surprise, that none of her holograms were activated, revealing every inch of metal underneath her skin.

_No holograms? _Prowl raised an eyebrow ridge.

Riella's optics flashed briefly. _Medic's orders. No unnecessary energy use. My levels are low enough keeping my optics active._ Her tone had just a hint of bitterness. _On Cybertron this would never have been a problem._

_What do you mean?_ Prowl stroked his mate's cheek, feeling the scar that revealed a streak of metal under the organic skin. _This happens to everyone. How many times have all of us been grounded to the medbay now? Most of those were on Cybertron. Everyone loses a fight now and then._

_Not me. Not like this,_ she snapped, turning her head away. _I have __never__ been injured this badly in a one-on-one fight. Perhaps my combat style is not intended for such a situation, but it should be more than sufficient to defeat two Stunticons._ She almost growled in frustration. _Since coming to Earth, my abilities have…deteriorated._ Distress and anger radiated across the bond. _Maybe I am no longer able to stand with the Autobots. _

_Riella, that's ridiculous._ Prowl cupped his hand lightly around her back. _You're being too hard on yourself. The last few months have been difficult. Even Jazz is complaining. We are all tired, energy levels are low, and the Stunticon attack caught us completely off guard; no one is at the top of their abilities right now. You'll return to normal as soon as you have a chance to rest and recover. _

Riella kept her face turned away. _And if you are wrong, and I truly am losing my ability to fight?_

_You're not, _her mate said firmly. _I believe you may be struggling to adapt to returning to an organic planet, though. You may take more time to adjust than others._

_So you think._ Riella flicked a strand of hair over her shoulder. _And if you are wrong, I may end up dead in our next battle. Do you think 'not adjusting well' is going to be particularly helpful then?_

Prowl wasn't entirely sure how to respond. In Riella's irritable state, the wrong thing would probably lead to him bunking with Jazz for a few nights, something he hadn't had to do in centuries. _Fair point. Just give it time._

_Time. Of course. Logical but frustrating._ The femme scratched irritably at her upper arm. _What is this?_

The tactician carefully took her wrist in his hand, looking at the irritated area. Just above the metal forearm, where the organic skin extended over the elbow joint, several red bumps had formed a rash. _I'm not sure. Does it hurt?_

_Not precisely._ Riella tapped it lightly. _A better description would be 'itches like the Pit'. _

_Scan says you have some kind of toxin on your skin._ Prowl scooped her up before she could protest, careful not to touch it. _We should talk to Ratchet. He'll want to know about this right away._

Ratchet took one look at her arm and didn't even bother to run a scan. "It's not hazardous, Prowl. You can put her down."

Prowl obeyed hesitantly. "It's a definite toxin, Ratchet."

"Well, technically, yes." The medic chuckled. "Congratulations, Riella. You have a classic case of poison ivy."

"What?" Riella's jaw tightened in anger. "Wonderful. Is there a cure?"

"Yep. Time." Ratchet turned back to the tools that he was organizing. "Your self-repairs should take care of it in about two days. It won't affect metal. Until then, humans have some kind of lotion that should help the itching. I could ask Bumblebee to have Sam pick some up for you if you want."

"Unnecessary." Riella spun on her heel and stalked out of the medbay, bond practically blazing with frustration. Prowl sighed.

"Thank you, Ratchet. Now she's going to be even more upset."

"Upset about what?" Ratchet turned to study the younger mech. "Let me guess, she's bored."

"No. Losing to the Stunticons made her angry." Prowl shook his head. "She's started to believe that she's losing her effectiveness as a warrior."

"Nonsense," Ratchet snorted. "She's not struggling any more than anybot else. Maybe being around organics again is throwing her stride off, but she's got all the abilities she had on Cybertron."

"I know, and I told her so." Prowl sighed again and rubbed his forehead. "She wasn't convinced."

"Figures," Ratchet grumbled. "Stubborn girl. I'll have a chat with her, or ask Optimus to do it. Don't worry, Prowl. She'll be okay."


	14. Chapter 14: A Friend In Need

**Biggest change to this one was the addition of the Optimus scene at the end, to make up for taking him out of earlier chapters. Also, Riella is less emotional. **

**Chapter 15: A Friend In Need**

Chromia glided down the hall, searching for one of her sisters. Ironhide was out on assignment with Major Lennox, and she was bored. Maybe she could convince Arcee or Moonracer that a 'Con hunt was just the way to spend a dull afternoon.

"Chromia! Are you busy?"

She sighed internally and turned to face Prowl, hoping the tactician wouldn't need her to do something. "No, I'm not."

Prowl nodded, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "I believe you heard what happened this morning with Riella?"

"Who didn't?" The femme's shouting match with Ratchet, over her perceived loss of abilities, had been all over the base.

"_I am not emotionally compromised!" Riella glared up at the medic, blue optics blazing and jaw locked._

_Ratchet barked right back at her. "Slag yes you are! Enough with the dramatics, kid. Quit acting like you're the only one with a problem!"_

"_Is anyone _else _losing to Stunticons?" Riella snapped, slamming one hand down on the table and denting it. "No? Then maybe there truly is something wrong!"_

_Down the hall, Lennox glanced at Epps. "Ten bucks says she wins the argument."_

"_You're on."_

Unfortunately for their bet, Riella had stormed out and slammed the door right about then, so there was no verdict on who won. Chromia shrugged. "So she's ticked at Ratchet."

"Yes." Prowl gritted his jaw, a mannerism very similar to Riella's. "Have you seen her since?"

Chromia thought about it, but already knew the answer. "No. Is she missing?"

Prowl shook his head. "She has not left the base, so technically, no. But no one has seen her since then. I suspect she found somewhere quiet to be angry at the world, but…"

"But what?" Chromia pointed a finger at him. "So your mate's acting like a sparkling. Find her and tell her that."

The tactician winced. "About that. She's blocking the bond. And when we discussed it earlier…"

"She got mad and now you're sharing a bunk with Jazz." Chromia rolled her optics. "Fine. I'll do it myself. Mechs."

She started off in the direction of Riella's office, ignoring Prowl's reply. "That is not what's happening – Chromia!"

Riella wasn't in her office, or her bedroom. That figured. _Primus slaggit, femme. When you drop your emotion filter, you _really _drop it. _

Chromia finally found Riella on the shooting range in robot mode, taking out target after target viciously. She watched for a moment before speaking.

"Well?"

"Twenty-eight thirty," Riella muttered, blowing the head off another Megatron-shaped target. "Twenty-nine thirty-one."

"Not bad," Chromia shrugged, folding her arms across her chest and locking her wheel-foot into place.

Riella slammed another round into her arm cannon. "Not good either."

Of course. Chromia grimaced. "And this standard is from…"

"Me." Another target shattered.

Chromia sighed. "Thirty thirty-two would have put you in the top quarter at the Academy."

Riella turned to glare briefly at her friend. "This is war, not the Academy. I used to have a steady ten-ten average."

"So you're down to slightly more normal again." Chromia decided to clean her own arm cannon so she wouldn't have to keep staring at Riella's back. "I know bots that would kill for a nine-ten."

"Don't you have something else to do?"

That did it. Chromia grabbed Riella's gun arm and spun her around, planting her free hand on the smaller femme's shoulder and pushing her into the wall. "_Shut the hell up and listen to me!_ You need to quit whining _right now_. The planet doesn't depend on your shot average being one point higher! So _get a grip, femme._ Do you want Bluestreak to come to Earth and find you like this? Huh?"

Riella didn't say anything, so Chromia kept going. "I didn't think so. Now, you are going to go find Ratchet and let him check you out, and then you are going to patch things up with Prowl. Or I'm going to want to know why. Deal?"

Riella's optics flickered a shade lighter, and she gasped in pain. Chromia let go instantly. "Frag it, Riella! Why didn't you tell me I was hurting you?"

"Not your fault," Riella snapped, pulling herself upright. The gritted sound in her voice indicated she hadn't stopped hurting. "I'll talk to them." With no further comment, she turned her back on Chromia and left. Chromia sighed, staring after her friend in frustration.

Riella stalked down the hall into the base, half-wanting to pretend the conversation with Chromia had never happened. Of course, she wouldn't get away with that. Chromia _would _check to make sure Riella had kept her promise to talk to Ratchet and Prowl, and if she didn't, the other femme would flip a gasket.

Her logic center reminded her that it wasn't Chromia, Ratchet, or Prowl's fault she was struggling, and therefore it was wrong to be angry at them. Still, if they were going to ignore her concerns, didn't she have a right to be angry?

_No. No one ignored you. You became attached to one idea and wouldn't drop it. They tried to explain, and you wouldn't listen._

Sometimes Riella hated her logic center.

She stumbled slightly, catching her ankle on a crate someone had left in the hall, and winced as pain shot from her back down to her injured leg. With a groan, she sat down, back to the wall, and rested her forehead in one hand. _What is wrong with me?_

"Riella, are you all right?"

_Optimus. _Riella winced and looked up at the Prime, staring down at her with a slightly confused expression. "Yes, sir."

"Are you sure?" Optimus held out a hand to help her up. She didn't want to accept, but a twitch from her leg suggested that getting up by herself would hurt. She took his hand, which was practically big enough to wrap around hers twice, and let him pull her upright.

"Thank you." Riella looked down at the floor, debating whether or not to tell him. "I…I don't know." Suddenly, against every logical thought in her processor, she couldn't stop herself from talking. "I _lost_, Prime. To a Stunticon."

Optimus arched a brow ridge slightly and nodded. "No one blames you, Riella – Motormaster has proven capable enough to be a challenge to much stronger Autobots."

Riella grimaced. "That is…not reassuring. I have not lost like that in years." To her embarrassment, she felt her voice crack slightly. "Do you still trust me as a member of your team?"

"Of course." Optimus looked at her in surprise. "Riella, I choose who to trust by their character, not their skill. You should know that. I trust you as a member of my team because you are intelligent and loyal. And even if I did choose based on combat ability, one loss is not nearly enough to disqualify you." He frowned. "If I used that standard, even I would no longer be a member of the team. Is that what your…outburst toward Ratchet was about?"

A blush spread up Riella's cheeks, and she stared at the floor, too embarrassed to look at him. "…Yes, sir. I apologize. I understand it was out of line -"

"Riella." Optimus placed a hand on her shoulder gently. "Look at me."

She did, and was relieved to see no hint of anger or disappointment on his face. His only emotions, either through telepathy or visible in his optics, were concern for a friend and absolute belief in what he was about to say.

"You need not fear losing your place among us, Riella. We may be on an organic planet, but you are one of us, and have been even since before you became technorganic. No matter what happens, that will not change. You are an Autobot."

Riella blinked back unexpected tears. The Prime's reassurance had touched on a fear she hadn't even admitted to herself. "Thank you…Optimus."

"You are welcome." Optimus nodded and patted her shoulder once before turning to go. As an afterthought, he turned back. "Might I suggest a civil discussion with Ratchet? Sooner rather than later."

Riella half-smiled. "Yes, sir. I'm on my way." _Prowl, too. _Gradually, she opened the bond again. Prowl wasn't actively blocking her, but he wasn't really listening either. It hurt, but really, she had to admit she had it coming.

_Prowl, if you can hear me…I'm so sorry._


	15. Chapter 15: Welcome Back

**This was another terrible-fight-scene chapter. I was trying to make Riella more capable here, and ended up borderlining Mary Sue by accident. So there's quite a lot of changes to that section. Also, better Riella and Ratchet interaction.**

**And yes, there will be another chapter, probably later today or tomorrow as soon as I figure out what I want to do with it. A few more, actually.**

**Chapter 15: Welcome Back**

"…Ratchet?" Riella took a hesitant step into the medbay. "Are you…"

"Who –" Ratchet poked his head out of the back room and sighed. "You again? Here to yell at me about something else this time? I'm fragging tired of hearing about your supposed ineffectiveness. You're fine."

Riella bit her lip. "I'm here to…apologize."

"…Oh." Ratchet stepped all the way out of the back room and looked at her a little more closely. "In that case, accepted."

Riella arched an eyebrow ridge skeptically. "You're not going to yell at me?"

"Well, I can if you want me to…" Ratchet shrugged. "But you look like someone had at you already. I'll let it slide this time."

Blinking, Riella nodded slowly. "Thank you. I know I was out of line – "

Ratchet held up a finger sternly. "Don't start, kid. We both know. No energon spilled, no problem. Just don't do it again."

"Okay." Riella managed half a smile. "Have you seen Prowl?"

The medic shrugged again and reached for a scanner. "Optimus sent him to check on Sam and Bumblebee, just in case. Bond inactive, huh?" When she nodded, staring at the floor, Ratchet sighed. "You can talk to him when he gets back."

Riella shuttered her optics briefly. "Can I go catch up with him?"

"No," Ratchet said firmly. "Vehicle mode would destroy your spine for sure. I'm not even sure you should be switching between robot and organic mode."

"But…" Riella shook her head and looked away, fingers shaking slightly. "I have to talk to him. What if I get Arcee to drop me off in town?"

"Hmmm…." Ratchet frowned and turned to study her. "I suppose that would be acceptable. But –" He leveled a finger warningly at her. "No. Transforming. I'm absolutely serious. You go to vehicle mode and you may never walk again. And take it easy, or you'll rip those patches open again. Understand?"

"Yes, sir." Riella opened a comm line to Arcee as she left the room. Ratchet shook his head with a sigh.

"Why do I get the feeling this will not end well?"

To Riella's relief, Arcee was more than willing to help. "I keep telling you, femme, you need to get out."

"I know." Riella debated borrowing a helmet from a human and decided against it. "I've been acting a bit like a sparkling, I think…"

::Oh good, you finally noticed.:: Arcee's engine rumbled pointedly. ::Yes, you have been. I feel sorry for Prowl, and I hope this is to apologize.::

::It is.:: Riella's cheeks flushed slightly. ::Believe me, Arcee, I know. I was…I _am _worried that I truly am losing my abilities.::

Arcee sped out of the base so fast Riella almost fell off. ::Oh please! The only thing you're losing is your confidence. Go kick some 'Con butt next time a patrol goes out. You'll feel better.::

Riella had to laugh slightly. ::Right. Because Ratchet will be happy to allow that.::

The pink femme dropped Riella off half a block from Sam's house, at her insistence. ::Are you sure this is a good idea?::

"Yes," Riella said firmly. "I will return with Prowl. Thanks for your help."

Arcee drove away with a final parting comment over the comm system. ::Come back with things straightened out, okay?::

::Will do.:: The technorganic made her way down the sidewalk toward the Witwicky house. Over the bond, she called, _Prowl? Where are you? _

It took a few moments, but Prowl answered hesitantly. _At Sam's friend's house, waiting for him to leave with Bumblebee. Why? Is something wrong?_

_No. I just need to talk to you. I thought you would be at Sam's house. _

_I should be soon. Not sure what's keeping him. _There was a pause, then Prowl added, _Bumblebee claims it's 'video games'. Apparently they have difficulty ending, no matter the reason. _

_So I've heard. I'll wait for you here. _Riella settled onto the curb in front of the house, resting her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. The street was depressingly quiet; even Sam's parents weren't around. Of course, she knew from talking to the Witwickys that most people in the neighborhood worked.

The rumble of a large truck caught her attention, and she glanced in the direction of the sound. An purple and gray semi-truck had just turned onto the street and was angling toward her. Assuming it needed to park alongside the curb, she stood up and backed away to give the driver room – and the truck _accelerated_, tires lurching over the curb.

"What the – _slag!" _Riella dived face-first onto the concrete, narrowly missing the nearest tire as the semi narrowly missed her. Half-stunned and bleeding from superficial scrapes on her neck and cheek, the femme picked herself up, wincing at the pain in her ribs. "How the _hell _did you get a driver's license? You could have killed me!"

The truck's engine began to click as it shifted into reverse, and the Autobot realized too late that there was no driver, and her scanners were clearly malfunctioning. She stumbled backward, frantically trying to open a comm line as the Decepticon transformed.

Motormaster's optics narrowed as he studied her. _**"You should be dead."**_Apparently he still hadn't bothered to learn anything beyond Cybertronian. Maybe he didn't have the processing power.

"_**Sorry to disappoint,"**_Riella snapped. Her spark was pounding in fear. _**"You should back down. I am not alone this time."**_

"_**You can't fool me, techno,"**_ Motormaster snarled. _**"I scanned the area. The nearest Autobot is too far to help you.**_**" **

Slag. He had called her bluff. And at the one time when she couldn't just go to vehicle mode and run. Hoping there were no humans in nearby houses, Riella transformed painfully to robot mode and snapped her blades into place. _**"I will not go down easily, 'Con. If you want a fight, you will have one."**_

"_**Like frag I will."**_ Motormaster's huge cannon rose to point directly at her. _**"Still hurt. You'll be an easy kill."**_

Her small weapons were no match for his, but even injured, Riella was quicker than the massive Stunticon. She spun sideways and dodged, evading the cannon blast, which put a gaping hole in the road. Shattered concrete rattled against her armor. She took a quick step back and kicked a chunk of concrete at Motormaster, sending it flying into his jaw and buying herself a second or two to back away and force herself to _focus. Prowl, where are you? Prowl! Emergency!_

_On my way! Get out of there!_

The Decepticon roared and charged. Seconds before he would have hit her, Riella's optics flickered, and her combat training kicked in full-force. She'd done it. Enough focus to fight. Enough to win?

Motormaster narrowly missed kicking her, foot catching on the concrete and sending him stumbling. She took the instant to whip around and slice a blade down toward his shoulder, nicking the metal. First energon drawn.

Jet engines screamed overhead. Not human. Decepticons.

Some part of her processor recognized them. _Seekers. Twins. That psycho and his sister._

She cycled her left blade back and activated her gun, taking a quick shot up at the duo. She missed, but they pulled back up, out of range.

Motormaster's cannon scraped her shoulder, throwing her off balance. She let her right knee buckle and dropped under the follow-up, coming back up on her feet and spinning to deflect a blow off to the side.

Pain shot through her shoulder at the movement. _Not ready for this. Prowl!_

_I'm coming!_

Laser fire streaked the ground around her, forcing her to back up and flip rapidly to avoid getting shot. Her backstrut screamed in protest.

The male Seeker – Blaze, she thought his name was – landed on his feet in the street behind her. _Scrap. _

She dropped down again, skidding along the ground on one knee and one wheel, and slid past Motormaster, slicing his knee open. He screeched in pain. An explosion shook the ground around them, sending both combatants stumbling.

Riella got back up first, slamming her heel strut into Motormaster's face as he rose. It knocked him back, but getting so close was a mistake. He slammed her legs out from under her with one stroke, throwing her back onto the ground. She gasped in pain as her head hit the ground, immobilizing her for a moment.

_No. Not this again. _She knew what he'd do. Creature of habit. An idea, an old strategy, formed in her logic center. She detached her right blade, letting it slide down into her hand.

As Motormaster stepped close enough to stand over her, Riella threw the blade directly at the center of his chest, at the weak point between chassis panels. It was a desperate one-in-a-million shot.

It connected. Through armor, through the protoform beneath, all the way through the Stunticon leader's spark chamber.

Riella forced herself to flip back onto her feet smoothly, no matter how much it hurt, and face down the Seeker twins, now standing in front of her with weapons drawn. The femme tilted her head in an odd curious movement.

"The former organic. A fighter after all?"

"Not an organic. Not anymore." Riella took a pointed step forward, gripped the end of her blade, and yanked it out of Motormaster's gray frame. "I am an Autobot. I always have been, and I always will be, no matter what. Kill me and other Autobots will _still _find you. I was not lying about that backup." She narrowed her optics and stepped over the body, closing on them. "In other words…run,ko-wil'tei_." _

The two exchanged a brief look that probably had a lot of meaning, but before either one could move, Prowl and Bumblebee skidded around the corner, both transforming and ready to fight. In less than a moment, the Seekers had taken off and disappeared into the sky.

"Whoa…" Sam stumbled into view from where he had apparently been dropped on the curb. "Did you just kill a 'Con?"

"Slag yes." Riella winced as the pain from her injuries caught up with her, but didn't let herself collapse. There would be time for that later, at the base. "No one puts me out of commission for weeks and doesn't hear about it later. No one."

Prowl reached out to support her anyway, knowing without anything being said. _Now that would be the Riella who's been missing from the Autobots for a few weeks. Welcome back, love._

_Thank you_. Ignoring Sam and Bumblebee's identical expressions of _this-is-really-weird/gross_, she planted a light kiss on Prowl's lips before whispering over the bond, _I'm sorry. I was wrong. Forgive me?_

_Always._ Prowl held her closer, letting her lean on his shoulder. _I can't guarantee that Ratchet will, though._

"Right. Still have to admit that I got in a fight to Ratchet." Riella grimaced, stepping away from Prowl and transforming down to organic mode with a wince. "I'm sure he'll understand." The Jaws theme started playing from Bumblebee's radio, and she sighed and glared at him. "Must you?"

_Dun dun dun dun. _

"Oh, shush."


	16. Chapter 16: Fire In The Sky

**Look what story isn't dead! My sincerest apologies for leaving it hanging so long. At one point, I was going to end it after chapter 15, "Welcome Back", but just recently I was going through my notes and realized that there was more that I wanted to cover, so there will be a few more chapters to this! I don't know how regular my updates will be, but I will make an effort to keep up with this one. **

**Chapter 16: Fire In The Sky **

Prowl pulled to a stop in the middle of the hangar bay, transformed, and checked the bond in confusion. _Riella? _She should have been somewhere in the base – after the incident with Motormaster four weeks earlier, Ratchet had been severely restricting her off-base activities, even after she'd regained full transformation ability and been cleared for training two weeks prior.

_Prowl? _Riella sounded distracted, but pleased to hear from him. _Back from patrol already? _

_Affirmative. Where are you?_

_Um…_ Prowl could sense his mate's amusement and slight embarrassment. _Don't tell Ratchet?_

Prowl smirked internally, stepping carefully over a human on his way to his office. _Not unless you're going to pick a fight with another 'Con._

_No. I'm undercover, organic mode, at a park in Tranquility. _Riella opened the bond further, letting Prowl feel the heat of the sun and the slight breeze through it. _I was going stir-crazy stuck at base. I haven't left for three days. _

_I've noticed. You wore a groove in my office floor pacing. _Prowl chuckled internally. _All right. Send me your coordinates, I'll meet you there. _When she did, he transformed and spun around, retracing his way out of the hangar at a reasonable pace and activating his holoform. ::Prime, sir, I'm taking an extra trip in to Tranquility.::

::Any particular reason?:: Prowl stifled a snicker at Optimus's tone. The Autobot leader knew what was going on. Of course, he'd have to be completely detached from his entire team to have missed Riella's increasing restlessness.

::Yes, sir. Meeting Riella.:: The tactician paused, realized the problem with making that statement without an addendum, and continued, ::If you could avoid mentioning that to Ratchet, both of us would appreciate it.::

Optimus laughed, sound making static crackle in the comlink. ::Ratchet was the one who told me where she is.::

::…I see.:: Prowl raised a hand, via holoform, to the soldier on guard duty as he sped through the gate. ::Should I - ::

::Just make sure she comes back in one piece, and neither of us will say anything,:: Optimus assured him. ::Stay undercover.::

::Yes, sir.:: Prowl closed the comm line and sped down the road, ignoring the speed limit unless a human car was anywhere in sight. It took less than ten minutes to find Riella's location, which was a large park-slash-playground near the center of town.

His sparkmate was settled in the grass next to the larger of the two playgrounds, watching two teenagers climb on the equipment. Her sense across the bond was somewhere between amused and annoyed – probably because one of the teenagers was Sam Witwicky – but she didn't comment on them, instead sending a quick non-verbal greeting.

_Babysitting? _Keeping the holoform active, Prowl walked over to sit next to her. It still felt very odd to use the holoform instead of robot mode. Being six foot two instead of eighteen foot one took some getting used to, and that was only the tip of the iceberg. The last time he had done that, before coming to Earth at least, had been over two thousand years earlier before bonding with Riella.

_I remember that holoform, _Riella commented, looking up at him with a smile. _Not so different from this one, except for species. _

Prowl shrugged sheepishly and flicked at a strand of dark hair that was getting in his optics. Eyes, technically speaking. _I believe I preferred the Vulcan._

Riella laughed and let him put one arm around her shoulders, leaning back against his chest. That felt odd too – they weren't normally so close to the same size in organic mode. She rested her head on his shoulder and responded, _You know you could always form one with shorter hair. It doesn't have to be long enough to get in your face. Although I have to admit, I don't mind this look on you. _She reached up to brush the errant hair out of his face again.

Prowl smiled. _So what are we doing? _

Riella gestured toward the teenagers, one of whom was now hanging upside-down off the swingset. _I'm watching Sam and his friend Miles while Bee takes a driving break. Incognito, of course. They don't know I'm here. You thought Sam lacked common sense? Miles makes him look like a trained tactician in comparison._

Raising an eyebrow, Prowl studied the two boys more closely. _Wonderful…_

_Did you hear that? _Riella lifted her head and scanned the sky, blue-green eyes narrowed.

Prowl took a second to listen, but couldn't hear anything. He didn't expect to – Riella's organic audios were much more sensitive than his, especially when he was in holoform and vehicle mode. _No…_

Riella's eyes locked on to something. _Prowl, look. Look! _She nearly jumped upright, pulling him with her. Prowl tilted his head back, trying to follow her bond-gestures. He could hear the sound now, the faint, distant screech of damaged metal.

_Riella, slow down. What – _Then he saw the sphere dropping out of the sky, unmistakably a Cybertronian in space-travel mode. Its trajectory would land it straight in the middle of downtown.

The duo thought in unison. _Scrap!_

Around them, humans had noticed, and were pointing to the object in the sky. Even at this distance, Prowl could see the flames around it. Whoever it was, they'd taken damage – they were coming in far too fast.

A thud alerted the two Autobots to the activities on the playground. Miles had fallen off the swingset, and was now staring up at the sky, eyes wide. "Dude! Look at that!"

Sam wasn't looking. He was rubbing his forehead in frustration – 'facepalming', humans called it, and glaring at the two of them. "Riella? What are you doing here? And…" He trailed off, staring at Prowl's holoform. "Um, who's the guy?"

Prowl crossed his arms on his chest and simply stared right back at the boy, not blinking, moving, or simulating breathing. Sam got the hint after about twenty seconds.

"Uh…Prowl?"

"Of course." The tactician resisted the urge to add something bitingly sarcastic.

"_Dude!_" Miles pulled himself upright and punched Sam lightly in the upper arm. "Dude, seriously, _look!_"

_Prowl… _Riella's fingers closed around his hand tightly. Prowl followed her gaze upward, afraid of what he would see.

Above them, the falling Cybertronian was still blazing, leaving a trail of fire across the sky above them. It hadn't adjusted and cooled down after reentry, as it should have. Prowl felt his spark thud in worry. Ally or enemy, they were in for a brutally painful – possibly fatal – landing.

"We need to go." Prowl only realized he'd spoken when Riella nodded and started toward the street, where Prowl's vehicle mode was still parked. The tactician matched her steps, glancing back at Sam and Miles. "Stay put. Someone will come find you."

"Wait, what?" Miles shook his head and ran after them, ignoring Sam's yanking on his shoulder. "You're gonna go see it? We're coming!"

"No, you're not," Prowl snapped. "Sam! Stay here!" Without waiting for either teen's response, both Autobots sprinted for the vehicle mode, one thought in their minds.

_Don't let us be too late…_


End file.
